[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 11, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8481-S8489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN REMEMBRANCE OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I was very proud of the efforts of
Alaskans in response to the disaster on September 11 of last year.
Although we are thousands of miles from New York, they immediately
reacted.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, later this afternoon in my home State of
Vermont, the chief judge of the Federal district court, Judge William
Sessions, will have an immigration ceremony, and I might say that I
can't think of anything more fitting. We will have memorials and other
events throughout the State of Vermont today, just as we will in other
States.
Many of us had been at the Pentagon earlier this morning, heard the
moving statements, and saw the resolve of the men and women who protect
this Nation. We heard our President and Secretary of Defense and
others.
It is right that throughout the country we have different events to
mark this occasion.
I want to especially compliment Judge Sessions for what he is doing
in Vermont. If there is anything that speaks to the resiliency of this
Nation, the greatness of this Nation, it is welcoming immigrants,
saying our borders are not sealed, our borders are open.
We want to welcome people who will continue to make this country
great, just as did my paternal great-grandparents and my maternal
great-grandparents who came to this country not speaking any English
but who sought employment and a new life. My grandfathers were stone
cutters in Vermont, immigrant stock. My wife was the first generation
of her family to be born here in the United States. It is immigrants
who have made this Nation strong.
What Judge Sessions is doing is telling us that our borders and our
country and our arms are still open to the mix of people from
throughout the world who will continue to give us the diversity we
need, just as our Constitution gives us diversity and guarantees that
diversity in the first amendment. We now have new Americans who will be
here with the same rights and privileges the rest of us have, and the
Nation will be a better place for it.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. DASCHLE. Madam President, I know a lot of Senators wish to be
heard. While I won't ask unanimous consent that this be done, I would
urge that the Chair recognize members of both parties in alternating
fashion to
[[Page S8482]]
accommodate both sides equally. That might be the best way to
accommodate everybody. That way we can get through the afternoon in the
most appropriate way.
I urge and ask the Chair to recognize Senators on either side.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, we have just returned from a most
historic and moving ceremony at the Department of Defense. That
building will always occupy in my heart a very special place for I was
privileged to serve there during 5 years and 4 months of the period of
the war in Vietnam in the Navy Secretariat, including my service as
Secretary of the Navy.
On 9/11, of course, I joined colleagues briefly here in the Chamber
and then we exited and with other colleagues who were gathered in the
park, we chatted a little bit about what we should do. I returned to my
office and conducted a brief prayer meeting and recommended to my staff
that they proceed to their homes and their loved ones.
In about an hour or two, however, I decided I would like to go to the
Department of Defense again because of my very special high regard for
the men and women of the Armed Forces and that dastardly act committed
by terrorists. I called the Secretary of Defense, whom I had known for
many years. We both served in the administration of President Nixon and
President Ford. He said: Come right over.
I called my good friend and colleague, Carl Levin, at his home, and
Carl immediately said, yes, he would join us, and the two of us then
proceeded to the Department of Defense where we joined Secretary
Rumsfeld and then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Shelton. It was
a memorable afternoon there at the command post watching the
magnificence of our command structure dealing with the many unknowns,
and yet taking the proper actions.
The President called in. Both Senator Levin and I spoke with him
briefly. Then we went back with the Secretary to where the plane had
struck the building and visited with all those who were performing
heroic acts right before our eyes in hopes of saving other lives and
doing what they could to comfort those wounded.
We then returned with the Secretary. And Secretary Rumsfeld asked
Senator Levin and I to accompany him to a press conference. We stood
behind the Secretary and the Chairman while they spoke. And then
unexpectedly, Secretary Rumsfeld turned to both of us and asked us to
make a few remarks.
I have here this morning the remarks I made, with no preparation,
just speaking from the heart. And they are as true today, 1 year later,
as they were at about 6:30 on the afternoon or the evening of 9/11 when
Senator Levin and I joined the Secretary. I will just repeat these
remarks.
I stated that I was joined by my distinguished chairman, Carl Levin,
and I said, speaking to the Nation:
I can assure you that the Congress stands behind our
President and the President speaks with one voice for this
entire Nation. This is, indeed, the most tragic hour in
America's history, and yet I think it can be its finest hour,
as our President and those with him, most notably our
Secretary of Defense, our chairman [of the Joint Chiefs] and
the men and women of the armed forces all over this world
stand ready not only to defend this nation and our allies
against further attack, but to take such actions as are
directed in the future in retaliation for this terrorist
act--one of the most unprecedented in the history of the
world.
We call upon the entire world to step up and help, because
terrorism is a common enemy to all, and we're in this
together. The United States has borne the brunt, but [which
nation] can be next? Step forward and let us hold accountable
and punish those that have perpetrated this attack.
Under the leadership of our President and the courage of the men and
women of the Armed Forces and the strength of the citizens of this
Nation, that has been done, is being done, and will be done.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Mr. REID. Madam President, under the order now in effect, Senators
have up to 10 minutes to speak, and we would ask that everyone would do
their best to confine themselves to that 10 minutes.
I ask unanimous consent that the list of speakers be as I am going to
outline them. These names have been given to our staff. The staff has
given these to me: Senator Feinstein, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison,
Senator Levin, Senator Snowe, Senator Dorgan, Senator Shelby, Senator
Dodd, Senator Bennett, Senator Durbin, and Senator Brownback. If
everyone uses their 10 minutes, that is going to take some time. What I
would suggest is that staff be notified of those who wish to speak this
afternoon, and we will be happy to do that to make it so that people
have to wait not a very long period of time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from California is recognized.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to share some of my
thoughts on this very special day, a day that commemorates one of the
darkest days in our Nation's history.
Those of us who listened this morning to the recitation of the names
of those killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon found in
those names both a message of grief and one deep in sorrow. Also in
those names was a profound message of how deeply the world is
interwoven. The reading of these names was, for me, an unforgettable
message of our diversity.
My sorrow, my sympathy, my condolences go to those who have lost so
much. For many, they have lost everything; yet they still have their
spirit, their hope, and their determination, and they still have the
love of a very sympathetic Nation.
On September 11, we all felt as if the loss was too much to bear, as
if it would be impossible to go on. But out of the ashes of the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon, we in Congress returned to work. We
tried in our legislative ways to address the terrorist threat. Within a
week of the attack, we approved a resolution authorizing the President
to use force against those who would perpetuate or harbor the
terrorists.
Within a month, we approved the USA Patriot Act, which authorized our
law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take the necessary steps
to root out the terrorist threat and to protect the Nation.
In May of this year, we approved the border security and visa reform
legislation, which overhauled the way this Nation allows immigrants and
visitors into the country.
In June, we approved a bioterrorism bill that included strict
certification requirements for laboratories that handle anthrax,
smallpox, and more than 30 other deadly pathogens.
At the same time, the United States launched a war against terror. In
Afghanistan, the U.S. forces, working with the Northern Alliance,
ousted the Taliban, fought al-Qaida troops, and made it possible for
Hamid Karzai to be elected President--Afghanistan's first democratic
election.
U.S. special forces were also sent to the Philippines, to Yemen, and
Georgia to train local troops on how to fight the war against terror.
We have broken up al-Qaida cells in Spain, France, Morocco, and
Singapore, preventing planned attacks.
In the financial world, the Treasury Department began examining the
financing of terrorist organizations, freezing more than $34 million in
terrorist assets.
Now the Senate is considering two additional steps to defend our
Nation: a bill to create a new Department of Homeland Defense and a
comprehensive review of the intelligence failures that led to 9/11.
I would expect the Senate to approve the homeland defense bill in the
coming weeks, and, hopefully, it will be signed into law by the end of
the year.
On September 17, the Intelligence Committees of both the House and
the Senate will open their first hearings on our intelligence review,
which has been going on now for 6 months.
One year has now passed. The Nation has shown its resolve and
resiliency. Now we must show our staying power.
For me, what emerged from 9/11 were four specific points:
First, we must stay the course on the war on terror. We must ferret
out, bring to justice, one by one, group by group, those al-Qaida, or
others, who would simply kill because they hate.
Secondly, we must make this country as safe as possible: eliminate
loopholes in laws, prevent fraudulent entry
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into our country, ensure that deadly chemicals and biological agents
are properly handled, and see that the national security is protected,
wherever possible.
Thirdly, we have to reinforce the hallmarks of America: liberty,
justice, freedom. Despite this crisis, the Constitution and the Bill of
Rights remain strong and central to our way of life.
Finally, we need to celebrate our democracy, and the way we do that
is simple: We make it work. We produce for our people. We pass good
legislation. We administer the programs. We show that democracy offers
solutions to the real problems of our society.
Let me say one thing about remaining vigilant in the war against
terror. Much of the al-Qaida organization remains intact, including
two-thirds of the leadership, and possibly Osama bin Laden himself.
Afghanistan is our beachhead in the war on terror. We cannot lose it or
we lose the war on terror. Yet Afghanistan's leadership is fragile.
Just last week there was an attack on President Karzai's life.
We have an obligation to provide for the security of Afghanistan and
its leaders and ensure that the nation does not fall under the control
of regional warlords. We must ensure that the Afghan economy becomes
upwardly mobile.
We have work to do to find those in hiding, whether in Pakistan,
Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Southeast Asia, and, yes, in our own
country. Al-Qaida remains poised to do their dirty deeds.
America learned on September 11 a very simple and sobering lesson--
that there are people in the world who would destroy us if they could.
We must remember this fact and do all we can to stop them. This means
staying the course and winning the war against terror. This means
keeping focused on the immediate threat from al-Qaida, and this means
looking for new ways to strengthen our Nation's homeland defense.
As we all consider the past year, let us remember all of those who
perished in the attacks and in their memory rededicate ourselves to
doing all we can to making our Nation strong and preventing a similar
attack in the future.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I would like to split my time with
my colleague from Texas, so I wish to be notified when I have used 5
minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, 1 year ago today, 3,000 people woke
up, kissed their loved ones goodbye, went to work, and never returned.
In the blink of an eye, their lives were brutally taken by the violent
acts of terrorists.
Together, we grieved and mourned for those who lost their lives. We
marveled at the heroism and bravery of the first responders--the
firefighters, emergency personnel, and police officers--who rushed into
the devastation to help others, many sacrificing their own lives in the
process.
But the American spirit of resilience rose from the ashes of Ground
Zero, the Pentagon, and that quiet field in Pennsylvania. Our
collective anguish became our national resolve. We focused our energies
on destroying the cowardly instigators of this tragedy so they could
not do it again to us or any other nation on Earth.
We will forever recall this day, but we are not a vengeful people. As
Americans, we value peace, freedom, and liberty. We know our diversity
and tolerance of other views, religions, and ways of life are what make
our Nation great. We do not perpetuate hatred or violence. We teach our
children to love one another and treat others with respect.
America was born out of a great struggle. The words of our Founding
Fathers ring as true today as they did more than 200 years ago. In
1771, Samuel Adams said:
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil
constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is
our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received
them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they
purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of
treasure and blood, and transmitted to us with care and
diligence.
It is our duty to carry on the crusade for freedom that generations
of Americans have fought and died to keep. The heroes of September 11
did not lose their lives in vain. The protection of our liberty and
freedom remains resolute.
It is the words of a civilian hero that remain with us, a young man
with a pregnant wife at home. He saw the horrors on his airplane that
morning on September 11 as they were flying over Pennsylvania. He
realized from telephone reports that this airplane, too, was part of a
terrible plan headed for one of our treasured symbols of freedom in
Washington, DC. Though he had little time to prepare, he and other
brave passengers decided to fight. And Todd Beamer's last words in his
valiant effort are our battle cry in this war on terrorism: ``Let's
roll.''
America is ready to roll, Madam President, and we will never forget
those who gave their lives for our freedom on September 11, 2001.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
Mr. GRAMM. Madam President, I thank my dear colleague and tell her I
am very happy to have my remarks appear next to hers.
A year ago today, terrorism struck at the very symbols of American
democracy and capitalism, as if by destroying those symbols, as if by
destroying the buildings, as if by killing innocent people, they could
destroy those institutions.
They failed.
Like millions of Americans, a year ago today I watched the horror of
the terrorist attacks. But then I watched the triumph of the human
spirit. I watched ordinary Americans, people pretty much like us, who
on that day did extraordinary things.
A year ago today, our Nation's leaders watched, and we were helpless,
like everybody else, to do anything about the problem. I am proud to
say today that we are not helpless, that we have started to fight back.
Our homeland is more secure today than it was a year ago, but it is
not as secure as it has to be. We are fighting a war, but the Congress
has to give to our military and to our law enforcement officials the
tools they need to finish the job.
When in doubt, I believe we must act. What is at issue is the safety
of the American people, and I am not willing to turn that safety over
to our allies, to the United Nations, or to anybody else. Where terror
hides, it must be rooted out and it must be destroyed, and if we have
to do that alone, then America is willing and capable of doing that
alone.
In my 24 years of public service in Congress, I have always been
proud of my country and my countrymen, but I have never been prouder
than I have been in the last 12 months. It has always been a privilege
to serve, but in the last 12 months it has been my great privilege to
serve the greatest country in the history of the world.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, 1 year ago today, the openness and
freedom of American society were used against us when terrorists
hijacked civilian passenger jets and used them as missiles to demolish
the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and destroy a large section
of the Pentagon. The fourth jet hijacked that infamous morning, United
Flight 93, may well have been headed for this Capitol Building before
brave crew members and passengers fought back against their captors.
One year ago today, over 3,000 people had their lives snatched away
from them. The emotional trauma of those losses has affected each and
every American. No State, no town, no community, no person has been
left untouched.
The despicable actions of the terrorists last September 11 have
changed the world, not only because of what they have destroyed, but
also because of what they have kindled in the American people.
In New York City, at the Pentagon, in the skies over Pennsylvania and
across America, 1 year ago today and in the days since then, we have
seen the bravery, compassion, determination, and shared sense of
purpose of Americans from all walks of life. As one writer put it,
``September 11 did not alter the American character, it merely revealed
it.''
I would add that it did not weaken our spirit, it strengthened it
immeasurably.
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We have, astoundingly, already rebuilt the mangled section of the
Pentagon, and we have cleared Ground Zero in New York City. We have
consecrated time and place and commemorated the heroic individuals who
faced 9/11 head on.
We are now engaged in a war on terrorism. It is unlike any war we
have ever fought. It has no boundaries. It has no clear end. Our
enemies target civilians. They are not soldiers. They are not warriors.
They are murderers.
We have taken the battle to our enemy. We have destroyed the Taliban
and disrupted the al-Qaida network. Those who have not been killed or
captured we have driven into hiding. We have liberated Afghanistan from
the clutches of terrorists, and we have put the rest of the world on
notice that to harbor terrorists is to invite disaster.
In these sterner times, we have rediscovered that we are made of
sterner stuff.
Yesterday, I had the honor of helping to plant a memorial Red Ash
tree at the Pentagon. That tree, and eight others like it planted at
the site over the weekend, were propagated from parts of a champion Red
Ash tree in Dowagiac, MI, named as such because it is the largest
example known of its species. That champion is 450 years old and 21
feet around at its trunk. It spans the history of America. And, like
the American spirit, it is indomitable.
At yesterday's ceremony, I remarked that we Americans are as well-
rooted as that champion Red Ash in Dowagiac, and like its crown, our
Nation's aspirations reach high into the skies above. The tendrils of
democracy root us; our aspiration is an unquenchable desire for
freedom--for ourselves and for all people everywhere.
Archibald MacLeish wrote, ``There are those who will say that the
liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a
dream. They are right. It is the American dream.''
We have shared that dream with the rest of the world.
For the better part of the last century, the United States and our
allies fought a successful battle against the genocidal forces of
fascism and totalitarianism. We defeated the Nazis. We won the Cold
War. In the bloody struggle between ideologies, democratic governments
triumphed over repressive regimes.
This democracy of ours and our allies will prevail against the likes
of al-Qaida because the overwhelming majority of people in the world
want freedom and justice and dignity and opportunity. America remains a
beacon of hope to the oppressed everywhere. Our current generation of
service men and women, and the American people generally, will meet the
new challenges and threats that we face as a nation as successfully as
we met the challenges and threats of the last century.
The people who perished 1 year ago did not do so in vain. We will
always remember them and, most importantly, we will honor them by
carrying on that noble struggle for what has been called the American
dream but what is actually humankind's dream.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that an article from the
Detroit Free Press titled ``Michigan's 16 Legacies'' be printed in the
Record.
There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Detroit Free Press, Sept. 5, 2002]
Michigan's 16 Legacies
(By Sheryl James)
They were among America's best, brightest and happiest.
Many had attended some of the finest schools--Cranbrook,
Detroit Country Day, the University of Michigan, Harvard,
Yale, Princeton and Vanderbilt.
As teens, they walked the halls of schools from Cass Tech
in Detroit to Traverse City High, all of them contributing,
achieving, giving back. They were young scholars and
financial wizards, technology gurus, National Honor Society
members, athletes, musicians, champions of theater,
contributors to their communities.
Most of them were well traveled--and well on their way to
the kind of success that defines the American Dream. A few
already had achieved that dream, with homes in Manhattan,
book credits, TV appearances.
One of them survived the 1993 terrorist bombing of the
World Trade Center.
They are gone now, these 16 terrorism victims who had
significant Michigan ties. But their legacies live on--in
their accomplishments and through their loved ones left
behind.
financial whiz kid on fast track to success
Terence Adderley Jr., 22, had a head and a heart for
finance by the time he was a teenager. Before even graduating
from Detroit Country Day in 1997, he had started an
investment club. His grandfather, William Russell Kelly,
founded Kelly Services of Troy in 1946, and his father,
Terence E. Adderley, is its president and chief executive
officer.
Adderley, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, took his love of
finance to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where
he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in May 2001. Soon
after, he landed a job with Fred Alger Management Inc., which
had offices on the 93rd floor of the trade center's north
tower.
Joseph White, a University of Michigan business professor
and former interim president, said Adderley had tremendous
potential
White knew Adderley through U-M alumnus David Alger,
president of Fred Alger Management. As a young analyst for
the company, ``Ted was thriving,'' White said. ``He loved
what he was doing.''
Besides his father, survivors include his mother, Mary
Elizabeth; five sisters, and a grandmother.
EXECUTIVE HAD EYE FOR BEST, BRIGHTEST
David Alger, 57, president of Fred Alger Management Inc.,
was a familiar fixture on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC--and at many U-
M events. He was a prominent alumnus and supporter of the U-M
business school, where, White said, he was the spring
commencement speaker in 1997 and served on the school's
senior advisory board.
Alger loved grooming young people for business and often
returned to his alma mater.
``David was a terrifically talented man,'' White said. ``A
colleague of mine said, `I loved David's rational
exuberance,' and she got it just right. That was David: very
analytical and very optimistic. . . .
``David encouraged people to participate in what he thought
would be the biggest bull market in American history--in
1991. It was an incredible prediction.''
Alger was born Dec. 15, 1943, in California but grew up in
Grosse Pointe. He received his undergraduate degree from
Harvard University and a master's in business administration
from U-M in 1968. He joined his brother Fred's company, Fred
Alger Management, in 1972 as an analyst. He eventually owned
20 percent of the business.
In 1995, Alger's brother moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and
left him in control of the company's daily operations. At the
time of Alger's death, the firm's assets had grown from $3
billion to $15 billion and its workforce from 82 to 220.
Alger, who owned homes in Manhattan and Tuxedo Park, N.Y.,
loved technology stocks and managed mutual funds that ranked
near the top of the 1990s bull market. He often appeared on
financial TV programs and wrote ``Raging Bull:` How to Invest
in the Growth Stocks of the '90s.''
On Sept. 11, Alger was working in company offices on the
93rd floor of the trade center's north tower. There were
1,300 people at his funeral, said White, who attended. Alger
is survived by his wife, Josephine; two daughters; his
brother, and a sister.
UNFETTERED SPIRIT LOVED THE CITY LIFE
Eric Bennett, 29, a Flint native, caught the travel bug
early when he took a trip overseas with a high school foreign
language club. He traveled often afterward, said his mother,
Kathy Bennett of Flint.
He visited Brazil, Puerto Rico, Rome, London and Paris. but
Bennett also loved the Brooklyn, N.Y., brownstone where he
lived, the big-city life in New York and his job as area vice
president for Alliance Consulting Group. His office was on
the 102nd floor of the trade center's north tower.
``From his home, he could see the towers, and from his desk
at work, he could see Brooklyn,'' his mother said. ``He just
loved life.''
In 1989, Bennett graduated from Flint's Kearsley High
School, where he had been cocaptain of the football team the
year before. In 1993, he received a bachelor of science
degree in computer information systems from Ferris State
University. He also played football at Ferris State and
earned an All-Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference
honorable mention in 1992.
In addition to his mother, he is survived by his father,
Terry Bennett, and a sister.
WINGS FAN HELD FAMILY CLOSE TO HIS HEART
Frank Doyle, 39, formerly of New Boston and Bloomfield
Hills, was a loyal Detroit Red Wings fan. He grew up playing
hockey and was the varsity goalie from his first year on at
Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Later, he played on
three mens hockey teams near his Englewood, N.J., home.
Doyle attended Huron High School in New Boston and
graduated from the Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills in
1980. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Bowdoin with
majors in economics and government in 1985. He also earned a
master's in business administration from New York
University's Stern School of Business in 1993.
Doyle was senior vice president of the Keefe Bryuette &
Woods brokerage in the trade center's south tower. He
directed its equity and trading department and was on the
company's board of directors.
Just before his death, Doyle was training for triathlons.
``He was probably in the best shape of his life'' and
planned to run a triathlon the weekend after the terrorist
attacks, said his
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wife, Kim Chedel. But, she said, Doyle mostly ``loved being a
dad'' to their children, Zoe and Garrett, who were 3 and 16
months when their father died.
Doyle and Chedel had both escaped harm when the trade
center was bombed by terrorists in 1993. Chedel, who then
worked at a brokerage in a different part of the complex than
her husband, escaped within 2 hours. She said she cried for
hours while waiting for Doyle to emerge.
On Sept. 11, Doyle called Chedel after the first plane hit.
He was on the 87th floor of the south tower--the second hit
but the first to fall.
``He said, `If you think we got rocked in `93, this was 10
times worse,' '' Chedel said.
``I said, `Frank, get out of there.' He said to me, `The PA
system said it was . . . more secure to stay in the
building.' ''
Doyle called his wife again at 9:22 a.m. ``He said,
`Sweetie, we've gone up to the roof. The doors are locked,
and we can't go down. I know you know this, but I love you .
. . and you need to tell Zoe and Garrett every day for the
rest of their lives how much Daddy loves them.''
His survivors also include his mother, Maureen Doyle of New
Boston, and three siblings.
Teacher kept her friends for a lifetime
Barbara Edwards, 58, who grew up in Wyoming, near Grand
Rapids, was a woman of character and warmth. She kept friends
for a lifetime and, as a high school teacher, showed up at
her students' soccer games on her own time.
``Barb was a people person,'' said her sister Jane Gollan
of Seattle. ``If you met her 30 years ago, she would still be
friends with you. She had a knack for keeping in touch.''
Edwards also was a fan of Bette Midler and of personal
mementos like the 40-year-old accordion she had as a child.
She never threw anything out, and her garage never had room
for a car, family members said.
Edwards, who lived in Las Vegas, graduated from
Kelloggsville High School in Grand Rapids in 1961 and from
Western Michigan University in 1965. She worked for a time at
Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids. She also
married, had three children and lived in various states
before divorcing in the early 1990s.
She was a high school French and German teacher in Las
Vegas when she went to a friend's wedding in Connecticut the
weekend before the Sept. 11 attacks. She was supposed to
return home, but friends convinced her to stay for a couple
of days. She wound up on American Airlines Flight 77, which
left Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington, and
crashed into the Pentagon.
Just before the attacks, one of Edwards' sons had left a
job as a broker in the World Trade Center. In addition to her
children, Edwards' survivors include her parents, Jack and
Liss Vander Baan who live south of Grand Rapids in Allegan
County; a sister, and two grandchildren.
avid reader relished his michigan roots
Brad Hoorn, 22, originally from Richland, near Kalamazoo,
never lost his affection for his favorite childhood book,
``Charlotte's Web.'' He learned to read using that book and
he reread it periodically, said his mother, Kathy Hoorn of
Richland. A voracious reader, Hoorn often read an entire book
to relax before an important college exam, she said.
Bright, energetic and outgoing, Hoorn played several
musical instruments; had been president of the National Honor
Society at Gull Lake High School in Richland, from which he
graduated in 1997, and cocaptain of the tennis team.
He was a computer whiz, his mother said, and loved coming
back to Michigan from his New York City apartment to golf
with his father, Dennis; play with the family's two Labrador
retrievers; visit friends and enjoy boating on lakes near the
family home.
In May 2001, Hoorn received a bachelor's degree in
economics from Yale University. On Sept. 11, he was working
at Fred Alger Management Inc. on the 93rd floor of the north
tower.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by a sister.
consultant made her own way in the world
Suzanne Kondratenko, 27, formerly of Romeo, had such zeal
and spark, her sister called her a spitfire, Patricia
Kondratenko said Suzanne was creative, independent and had a
daring sense of humor.
``Things she would say, other people wouldn't get away
with,'' Patricia Kondratenko of Rochester said. She
especially remembers Suzanne's beautiful skin and how she
always smelled like flowers.
Kondratenko and her sisters--all seven of them--attended
the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills. Suzanne
graduated in 1992. In 1996, she earned a bachelor's degree in
English literature and humanistic studies from St. Mary's
College in Notre Dame, Ind.
An employee of Keane Consulting in Chicago, Kondratenko was
in New York on Sept. 11 to do consulting work for Aon Corp.
on the 92nd floor of the trade center's south tower.
``Suzanne committed herself, entirely, to her every
endeavor,'' said her sister Aimee Kondratenko of Chicago.
``She was capable of so much.''
She is survived by her sisters and her parents, Eric and
Patricia Kondratenko, of Romeo.
actress captivated by the allure of theater
Margaret Mattic, 51, knew by her senior year at Cass Tech
High in Detroit that she wanted to be an actress and live in
New York. She accomplished that goal, and more. Before she
died, she was writing plays and planning to produce them, her
sister, Jean Neal of Detroit, said.
``My earliest memories of Margaret are of her performing in
school plays,'' said Peggy Robinson, who grew up with Mattic
on Detroit's east side. ``She was always the lead. I was a
narrator. When we did `Snow White,' she was Snow White. And
she was Gretel when we did `Hansel and Gretel.' ''
Mattic also was adventurous, Neal said. ``She did more
traveling and living away from home. The rest of us remained
in Detroit. Margaret lived in New Orleans and New York.''
While Mattic was a student at Wayne State University, where
she received a bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1973,
``she traveled to Europe for 8 weeks, all by herself,'' Neal
said. ``She had more nerve than all of us.''
Mattic, the youngest of five children, always loved to read
and write, said her mother, Katie Mattic of Detroit. As an
adult, she bought dozens of books for herself and for her
mother.
After graduating from Cass Tech in the late '60s, she
appeared in several plays in Detroit and New York,
particularly ones with African-American themes. Mattic worked
as a customer service representative for General Telecom in
the trade center's north tower.
She was single and had no children.
he was on way to a hawaii honeymoon
Robert R. Ploger III, 59, of Annandale, Va., approached his
life's work with a sense of adventure, said his father, Maj.
Gen. Robert Ploger of Ann Arbor. He studied philosophy in
college but wound up working with computers.
He worked for major corporations, established his own
successful company and finally became a computer architect
for Lockheed-Martin in Washington.
Ploger's parents--his father is retired and his mother,
Marguerite, is deceased--were originally from Owosso. Their
son graduated in 1959 from Paris American High School in
France and attended Michigan State University in 1959-60. He
served in the U.S. Army from 1960-62. Ploger then earned a
bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Denver
in 1965, married and raised two children. He and his first
wife, Sheila, later divorced.
Ploger had lived in California, Virginia and Maryland,
working as a computer specialist.
He married his second wife, Zandra, in May 2001. On Sept.
11, they were on their way to Hawaii for a honeymoon. Both
were aboard American Flight 77 when it crashed into the
Pentagon. A memorial service was held at the same hotel in
Annandale where the couple celebrated their wedding.
gentle giant won people over easily
David Pruim, 52, was ``the kindest, nicest, most gentle, 6-
foot-4 person there ever was,'' his wife of 28 years, Kate,
told the New York Times shortly after his death. ``He made
everyone he came into contact with feel good about himself,
from children to adults.''
Pruim was senior vice president of risk services for Aon
Corp., on the 103rd floor of the trade center's south tower.
The Pruims, both originally from Michigan, lived in Upper
Montclair, N.J., with their 10-year old daughter, Carrington.
David was a 1966 graduate of Western Michigan Christian
High School in Muskegon. He received a bachelor's degree
in political science from Hope College in Holland in 1970.
Last October, the college dedicated its homecoming football
game to Pruim.
He is survived by three brothers and his stepmother, Louise
Pruim, who lives in Norton Shores. His late father, James
Pruim, was mayor of Muskegon from 1994 to 1996.
Brilliant man had an empathetic ear
Josh Rosenthal, 44, was a brilliant guy with a big heart.
He doted on his nieces and, despite a terrible allergy to
cats, kept his Manhattan apartment window open to provide a
scratching post for his neighbor's cats, his sister Helen
Rosenthal recalled.
``He had this ability to reach in and really touch people
and make them feel like he was truly listening and
understanding what they were saying,'' she said.
Rosenthal was raised in Livonia and graduated from
Stevenson High School in 1975. His mother, Marilynn Rosenthal
of Ann Arbor, is a professor of behavioral sciences at the
University of Michigan-Dearbon. His father, Avram (Skip)
Rosenthal of Southfield, owns Books Abound in Farmington and
is a former director of the Henry Ford Community College
Library in Dearborn.
In 1979, Rosenthal earned a bachelor of arts degree in
political science from the U-M in Ann Arbor. In 1977, he was
named a Truman Scholar, a merit-based scholarship award given
to outstanding college juniors.
In 1981, Rosenthal received a master's degree in public
affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and
International Affairs at Princeton University. He moved to
New York afterward, and on Sept. 11, was at work as senior
vice president of Fiduciary Trust Co. on the 90th floor of
the trade center's south tower.
Rosenthal lived in Manhattan, but stayed involved with
family and friends in Michigan. He was godfather to several
children of friends his sister said.
``Josh had a large and wonderful family that he was very
close to,'' his mother said.
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Onetime star pitcher had new life with wife
Brock Safronoff, 26, originally from Traverse City, worked
as a computer systems analyst for Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc.
on the 96th floor of the trade center's north tower. He was a
1993 graduate of Traverse City Central High School, where he
had been a star pitcher for the baseball team.
In 1997, he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from
Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he also was a
starting pitcher on the baseball team. Later, he finished
course work toward a master's degree from Columbia University
in New York.
Safronoff and his wife, Tara, were married in August 2001
on Staten Island. They had just moved to a Manhattan
apartment before the Sept. 11 attacks. In addition to his
wife, his survivors include his parents Joel and Debra
Safronoff of Traverse City; a brother, and a sister.
Military man had 2nd child on the way
Lt. Col. Kip Taylor, 38, originally from Marquette, came
from a military family. He loved his job as an assistant to
three-star Gen. Tim Maude at the Pentagon.
But at home, Taylor loved the gentler art of cooking. He
especially loved trying out new recipes on unsuspecting
visiting friends, his wife, Nancy, said.
Taylor also loved working with wood. He build a deck and
worked on other projects at his McLean, VA., home. He had a
22-month-old son Dean. On Oct. 25, his wife gave birth to his
second son, John Luke who will be called Luke.
``He considered his most important role as that of
father,'' his wife said. ``We were both so excited about the
baby.''
In 1985, Taylor graduated from Northern Michigan University
with a bachelor's degree in management. He had two
scholarships, one for basketball and one for the ROTC
program.
He died when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the
Pentagon. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel from major
posthumously, his wife said.
His survivors also include his mother, Kay Taylor, who is
executive director of a child care referral agency in
Marquette; a brother, also in the Army, and a sister.
Taylor's late father, Don, was a retired Army lieutenant
colonel who gave his son his commission in 1985 and later
taught military science at Northern Michigan University.
horse enthusiast coordinated show
Lisa Marie Terry, 42, of Oakland Township found time every
summer, no matter how busy she was, to hold her Summer
Sizzler Horse Show in Mt. Pleasant.
It was not an easy task for Terry to put on a quarter horse
event while working full time with Marsh Inc., a national
construction company with offices in Detroit and in the trade
center's north tower. But horses were her passion.
``She did it all by herself,'' said Sarah Tupper of
Metamora, Terry's best friend and fellow horse enthusiast.
``She worked on it all year, getting sponsorships, making it
nice for exhibitors. She made a huge effort to put stuff in
the show people wanted.''
Terry especially encouraged young exhibitors, Tupper said.
On Sept. 11, Terry, a vice president in charge of
construction for the New York-based Marsh, was going to
Hawaii for a project. She stopped at the World Trade Center
for a business meeting and was among some 300 Marsh employees
lost in the attacks, company officials said.
A couple of years before her death. Terry, who was single,
celebrated her rise to vice president--a rare position for
women in her field--by buying a red BMW convertible, said her
aunt, Olga Stevens of Troy. Soon after, she bought her
Oakland Township home.
Terry had one brother and grew up in Troy, graduating from
Troy High School in 1977. She studied a social services
program at Ferris State University from 1977 to 1980 and was
a member of the Theta Tau Alpha sorority. She studied
insurance at Michigan State University in the mid-1980s.
She loved skiing, flowers and her two cats. An accomplished
horsewoman, she showed for the American and Michigan Quarter
Horse associations. The latter named her Sportswoman of the
Year in 1993.
Terry also was a member of the American Business Women's
Association and the National Association of Women in
Construction.
flight attendant had the heart of a child
Alicia Nicole Titus, 28, whose parents live in Dexter, was
a positive, peace-loving, let's-make-the-world-a-better-place
kind of person.
``She was very much into acceptance of world cultures and .
. . very embracing of people with different belief systems,''
said her father, John Titus. ``So it is ironic, sadly so,''
he said, that she was a flight attendant on United Airlines
Flight 175, which crashed into the trade center's south tower
Sept. 11.
Titus had just become a flight attendant. Disillusioned
with corporate life as a marketing director for a firm in San
Francisco, where she lived, she switched careers, said her
father, who is director of student advisement services at
Schoolcraft College in Livonia. Alicia's mother, Beverly,
teaches part-time at the college's Women's Resource Center
and Continuing Education Department.
Titus grew up in St. Paris, Ohio. She graduated from Graham
High School there in 1991 and earned a bachelor's degree in
international business from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,
in 1995.
``She had lead roles in musicals in high school and was
into track, cheerleading and National Honor Society,'' her
father said.
She also loved outdoor sports such as snowborading,
mountain climbing and sky diving. She had traveled to Spain,
Morocco, England and France.
Titus' roommate in San Francisco told her parents that the
Sunday before the attacks, the two went to a local park,
where they twirled hula hoops and played on the swings and
slides--typical of Titus' childlike zest for life, her father
said.
Titus, who was single, also is survived by two brothers; a
sister, and a nephew.
recent graduate had energy, potential
Meredith Lynn Whalen, 23, who was originally from Canton
Township, loved animals, particularly horses. She always
wanted to own a horse, said her mother, Pat Whalen of Canton.
But Whalen valued friends most of all. Her mother was
comforted by her daughter's friends after the Sept. 11
attacks.
``Her friends have all described her as a very energetic,
caring person with a lot of compassion for others,'' Pat
Whalen said.
Whalen was just as energetic in high school. She was a
varsity swimmer and in the National Honor Society at Plymouth
Salem High School, from which she graduated in 1996. She
earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with
honors from the U-M in Ann Arbor in 2000.
``Meredith was an outstanding graduate of our 2000 BBA
program,'' said White, the U-M business professor and former
interim president.
White said David Alger, another U-M graduate and World
Trade Center victim, spotted Whalen as a young person with
great potential and convinced her to work for his company.
She became a research assistant for Fred Alger Management
on the 93rd floor of the trade center's north tower and lived
in Hoboken, N.J.
She is survived by her mother; three sisters, and a
brother. Her late father, Henry (Hank) Whalen, had been a
Canton Township trustee.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Ms. SNOWE. A few short hours ago, at the Pentagon, we bore witness to
the essence of this solemn anniversary. It was a message of restoration
and renewal from a grateful nation.
Today is the commemoration of both incalculable loss and limitless
courage, of enduring sorrow and indomitable spirit.
We seek to honor the bravery and heroism displayed by so many for so
long on this day and the days following. We are moved to grieve for
what and whom we lost--such as Maine victims Anna Allison, Carol
Flyzik, Robert Jalbert, James Roux, Stephen Ward, Robert Norton,
Jacqueline Norton, and Robert Schlegel.
Today, we embrace all that we have retained as a nation--our
strength, our sense of purpose, our unity, and our veneration of the
principles of freedom and justice--for today, the hearts of Americans
and freedom-loving people across the globe are beckoned at once by
sorrow and resolve, and we should heed the call of both.
The snapshots of insanity etched in our minds, the indelible stain of
unfathomable inhumanity, these must remain if we are to triumph over
the tyranny of terror, and triumph we must.
In a horrific irony, the forces of darkness had their way on an
especially bright and beautiful morning, much like today, and the evil
that fueled their horrible deeds lives on in the shadows of the world.
The struggle before us will be constant, and therefore our vigilance
must be unflagging.
So on this first anniversary of a new era, let us continue to brace
ourselves to perpetuating what is good and just, as we and our allies
did in the 20th century's great struggles against evil. And let us
remember how that one day in September not only changed America and the
world but also reminded us of what really matters, of the principles
and the people we value and certainly should appreciate--our
firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, our troops, and
seemingly ordinary Americans who, when faced with the horrible
certainty of their circumstances, knowingly bring down a plane to save
the lives of others, not to mention the very symbols of our democracy,
the Capitol and the White House.
On this solemn occasion, we celebrate those heroes who walk among us
today, while the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice
reverberates throughout New York, Washington, Virginia, Pennsylvania,
and
[[Page S8487]]
every town and city in this land. Indeed, if it is true that a nation
is defined by its response to adversity, then America redefined its own
greatness.
Men and women searching and clearing the World Trade Center site
worked day and night, while volunteers brought them food and water.
Their labor will stand as a memorial beside the hallowed site's eternal
flame near the hole in the Earth that mirrors the hole in our heart
that will never fully mend. And just across the Potomac, engineers and
construction workers poured forth every last ounce to rebuild the
Pentagon within 1 year in a gesture comprised of equal parts defiance
and pride. At the building's D-ring, a father literally helped repair
the broken stone and mortar near the very spot where his son perished
that fateful morning.
What is lost can never be recovered, but with this first anniversary
of September 11, it is as though life has reclaimed its rightful place
where destruction dared intrude. At the Pentagon there is a single
blackened stone set within the new wall to symbolize what cannot and
must not ever be forgotten. We have witnessed an almost
incomprehensible transformation from the blackened devastation we saw a
year ago, just as America itself has been transformed.
An unparalleled sense of unity and compassion swept across America,
proving once again that the true strength of our Nation has always
flowed from the fortitude of our people.
As we lifted up the hearts of those grieving for loved ones, we moved
toward a swift and just defense of our freedom, and the President
worked vigorously and mightily to build an international coalition. And
while the war on terror will unquestionably be long and dangerous, our
heroic men and women in uniform struck quickly and decisively at the
heart of the Taliban.
In February, I had the privilege of visiting our troops and meeting
with President Karzai as part of a congressional trip to Afghanistan.
What left the most profound impression on me, one I will never forget,
was the unflinching commitment, the indefatigable resolve, and highest
level of professionalism, not to mention bravery, of our troops.
Indeed, much was revealed to us on the morning of September 11, 2001:
The extent of the threat against us, the image of the devil incarnate,
but also the face of a resilient and passionate and a united nation
that would not allow this travesty to stand.
We have learned that we can continue the process of healing, even
knowing we will never fully be healed. We have learned we can move
forward, without moving away from the anger we justifiably feel.
Indeed, if we are to properly memorialize those whom we lost on that
day and the days since, then we must maintain a boundless resolve in
perpetuity that is so essential to keeping America secure and eradicate
the roots of terrorism and the bloody instruments of fear.
At Gettysburg, President Lincoln said:
It is for us the living . . . to be dedicated here to the
unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so
nobly advanced. It is . . . for us to be here dedicated to
the great task remaining before us.
That is our call yet again today. That is the destiny to which we
must rise. Now, like then, we are equal to the challenge. God bless
America.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
Mr. DORGAN. Madam President, I was not sure if I was going to come
and say a few words today. I am almost fatigued by the coverage of 9/
11, and yet there is something so important about this moment that
silence somehow is not an appropriate response.
The horror of the moment of September 11 last year remains with us
even as we ache in our heart for those who lost their lives on that
day. I think all of us understand the target was not buildings. It was
not buildings in New York or Washington, DC. The target was the spirit
of our country. The target was democracy. The target was Americans and
what Americans represent.
With the 1-year anniversary of that event, it is important for our
country again to take stock of where we are, who we are, and what our
citizenship responsibilities are as Americans.
One year ago, I left the Capitol Building late at night to drive home
and drove past the Pentagon. It was still burning, with smoke billowing
out of the Pentagon that was then bathed in floodlights. It was an
eerie sight to see the fire at the Pentagon even late at night and to
hear and see the F-15 and F-16 fighter planes flying combat missions
over our city and the Capitol that day and that evening.
We went back to the Pentagon a few days later, and we were, as
Members of Congress, meeting with Pentagon officials and viewing the
damage. As we were there, one young marine was hanging by a crane in a
bucket up near what had been the fourth floor of the Pentagon in what
now was an open wound and gash in that concrete building. He had been
hoisted up in the bucket by a crane that was moving toward this open
gash. As we watched him, he reached around into this open area where
this airplane hit and he pulled out a flag he had spotted up in an open
area that had miraculously burned, and he brought this red and gold
flag, which was the Marine flag, a brilliant red and gold color. He had
the crane lower him to the ground. He marched over to where we were,
walked past us and said: I am going to give this flag to the Marine
Commandant. He said: Terrorists could not destroy this flag, and they
cannot destroy this country.
I think the spirit of that young marine and the spirit of people at
Ground Zero, where we visited a week following the attacks, is
something I will always remember.
The visit to Ground Zero that many in Congress conducted was a very
sad visit, showing the carnage and destruction of the World Trade
Center where so many thousands died. The event I recall from that day,
among many, was a firefighter who came to me with a several-day growth
of beard, blood-shot eyes. He had worked around the clock for many
days. He told me of the friends he had lost, those who were his fellow
firefighters who had died in the tragedy. Here was a man who obviously
had very little rest, had worked day and night. Through his blood-shot
eyes and with a uniform that was quite dirty, having worked around the
clock, he looked at me and said: Senator, you must promise me to do one
thing.
I asked: What is that?
He said: Get them. Get them. If you do not get them, they will do
this to this country again.
He represented the feeling of all Americans. We must make certain
that terrorists are not able to do this again in our country. Our
country is, in my judgment, as united as ever, united to battle
terrorism wherever it exists in the world. We have come to understand
as a country that a battle against terrorism is not quick. It is not
easy. But it is something to which all America is committed. Every
fanatic anywhere in the world who thinks terrorism is an acceptable
means to an end needs to hear and know that America is united.
My State is half a continent away from Washington, DC, and New York
City where the attacks took place. Let me speak for a moment about my
rural State, so distant from the urban areas where the attacks took
place.
First, tragically, we, too, experienced the loss of life. A young
North Dakotan, Ann Nelson of Stanley, ND, died when the World Trade
Center collapsed. I knew Ann and her family. She was a very special
young woman. Her father has been a good friend of mine for many years.
She had a bright future ahead of her, and she was a joy to all who knew
her. Ann Nelson was a young North Dakota woman seeking a career,
pursuing a job in the World Trade Center in New York City. She died
because she was an American. She was one of thousands of innocent
Americans who lost their lives because of these heinous, unspeakable
acts of horror committed by terrorists.
The day of the attack in Washington, DC, I looked up in the sky to
see fighter jets flying overhead. I found out later that day they were
pilots from Fargo, ND, members of the Air National Guard called the
Happy Hooligans, some of the best fighter pilots in the world. Over the
years, they have won three William Tell Awards which is the award for
the best fighter pilots. They are stationed on a rotating basis at
Langley Air Force Base.
Part of their mission is to protect the Nation's Capital. They were
the
[[Page S8488]]
first scrambled and the first in the air and the first over the
Nation's Capital on that very day, 9/11. We are so proud of them. They
are the ones we saw in the air almost immediately after these attacks.
Their mission, I told them, reminds me of something I read some long
while ago. I don't know where it comes from, a verse that said: When
the night is full of knives, and the lightning is seen, and the drums
are heard, the patriots are always there, ready to fight and ready to
die, if necessary, for freedom.
A lot of patriots last September 11 said: I'm here and I'm ready to
fight for freedom.
In the weeks and months that followed the attacks of September 11,
our country has come together like never before. We understand that we
face a very special and unusual challenge. We are a big, wide open,
free democracy. It is very hard to provide absolute security in every
way, every day all around our country. We do not want any of us to
diminish the basic freedoms that represent America, the basic freedoms
in our Constitution. We do not want to diminish those freedoms in order
to fight terrorism. We want to fight terrorism and eradicate terrorism
wherever it exists. We want to preserve that which makes America
unique, the most wonderful country on the face of the Earth.
A year ago when I spoke in this Chamber about the events of September
11, I recalled the words that Shakespeare wrote: Grief hath changed me
since you saw me last.
It continues to change us as we go forward carrying the heavy burden
that grief imposes. But part of that change is much more than grief.
Part of it is a steely resolve to respond forcefully and strongly and
with precision to those who carried out the attacks 1 year ago. Our
resolve in this year, in my judgment, has grown even stronger.
This will be a day that Americans will think about for many decades
to come, the September 11 anniversary of 2001. My hope is we rededicate
ourselves today to the mission ahead and the challenge ahead to
preserve our democracy. My hope is that today we also pay honor to the
memory of those innocent Americans who lost their lives, and then say
thank you to all of the heroes who, on September 11, extended forward
and said: Let it be me to reach out and help. And especially we say
thank you to the men and women of the Armed Forces who serve in harm's
way all across the world.
Finally, months after September 11, I was in Afghanistan, Baghram,
Kabul, and that region of the world. As you fly into Afghanistan and
look down through an airplane window to the hills and the mountains and
understand that somewhere in caves deep in the mountains there were
people plotting the murder of innocent Americans, you understand we
cannot ever be oblivious to what is happening in the rest of the world.
It can have a profound impact on the lives of those who cherish
freedom.
I say to the young men and women I met in Kabul and Baghram and
elsewhere, thanks for your service to America. Thanks for helping us
wage the fight against terrorism, a fight this country is determined
and destined to win.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. SHELBY. Madam President, one year ago, America awoke to a tragic
and devastating incarnation of hatred and evil. Incomprehensible to
most citizens only a day before, the terrorist attacks of September 11
dramatically changed our people, our country, and the entire world.
Insulated for over 50 years from foreign attacks on our soil,
Americans in an instant grasped the magnitude of the threat we face
from terrorism. In the days after the attacks, the dangerous world in
which we live never seemed more precarious.
The immediate aftermath brought a tremendous outpouring of grief and
sorrow.
Our Nation mourned as the realities of the events of September 11
penetrated our collective psyche. Candles were lit in remembrance and
flags were flown in patriotic displays of unity. Stories of bravery and
courage emerged in the wake of the attacks which helped to inspire and
remind us of all that is great about the American spirit.
This foundation of strength which was built in the days after the
attacks prepared us for the challenges ahead, and helped harden our
national resolve to deliver our enemies to justice.
We live in a far different world than the one we occupied just 12
months ago.
With a clear sense of purpose our country has engaged the war on
terrorism on every conceivable front. The vision outlined by President
Bush in his September 20 address to the nation has been undertaken with
extraordinary success. We have been vigilant in our fight to hunt down
those responsible for the attacks, as well as those who might do us
harm in the future. We have fortified our defenses and reorganized our
government. Americans everywhere are more aware of their surroundings
and remain defiant of those wishing to do us harm. We as a nation have
grown stronger and more united than ever.
We have been blessed with enormous freedoms and prosperity in this
country. Over the course of our history, many Americans have made the
ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives to protect our freedoms.
Although we have enjoyed many years of peace, the events of September
11 showed us that this fight is far from over.
We must continue to build on the successes of the past year, and
never become complacent with our victories. The burden cast upon our
great Nation was one we neither asked for nor deserved, but we carry it
on our shoulders consoled by the memories of those who went before us
who sacrificed in the name of freedom.
I yield the remainder of my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. SPECTER. In the absence of anybody else on the floor seeking
recognition, I ask consent that I be permitted to speak for 5 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, Senator Santorum, Senator Ensign, and I
have just returned from memorial services in Shanksville, PA,
commemorating the downing of Flight 93. It was truly an inspirational
and emotional occurrence. The families of the victims of flight 93, the
crew and passengers, were seated front and center, and then a large
crowd was assembled, estimated in advance to be in the range of 20,000
to 30,000 people.
Gov. Mark Schweiker, Governor of Pennsylvania, spoke, as did former
Gov. Tom Ridge, now the Homeland Security Director. There was not a dry
eye in the entire assemblage. The message delivered by Governor
Schweiker and Governor Ridge was a moment of remembrance, a moment of
commemoration, and a moment of hope for the future, with a
determination that a united America will repel terrorists wherever
terrorists exist and that the struggle for freedom will be maintained
and will be won.
Governor Schweiker went to the Shanksville Elementary School in
advance of the ceremony and brought to the assemblage, especially the
families of victims of flight 93, this message from the Shanksville
Elementary School:
If God brought you to it, God will bring you through it.
That brought quite a response.
Churchill was quoted, I think, so appropriately:
Never was so much owed by so many to so few.
I think that is especially applicable to the Members of the Senate
and the Members of the House of Representatives because flight 93 was
headed to the U.S. Capitol. That had long been the speculation, and it
was confirmed 2 days ago in an article in the New York Times, quoting
members of al-Qaida.
Ms. Sandy Dahl, wife of pilot Jason Dahl, made an emotional speech
and later came down and sat right next to where I was sitting and was
holding her infant daughter, Michaela, who will be 2 at the end of
September. It was quite a poignant picture of the widow, grieving for
what happened a year ago today, but holding her child and looking
forward to the future. The child was smiling, and so was Mrs. Dahl,
looking at her infant daughter.
It is my hope that the Congress will yet act on legislation which has
been introduced to grant Congressional Gold
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Medals to the 40 who were crew and passengers of flight 93. As I moved
through the assembled ladies and gentlemen who were families of the
victims and spoke to them and heard of their grief, the common thread
was: Please move ahead. Thank you for the legislation--thanking the
Congress for the legislation authorizing the creation of a memorial at
Shanksville, a national memorial site, but also asking that our
legislation for the Congressional Gold Medals be completed.
The family of Georgine Rose Corrigan presented me with this photo and
the ribbons, red, white, and blue. These photos were worn by so many--
virtually all of the families of the victims who were in attendance.
Yesterday, I spoke on the floor of the Senate and said that sometime
before dusk today I would ask unanimous consent for the consideration
of the bill S. 1434, which has 69 cosponsors, which would grant the
Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to the victims of flight 93. This
bill should have been moved a long time ago. I have taken it up with
the appropriate Senators to get it moved, and it has not moved because
of the interest of some in expanding it to cover other victims--the
firefighters, the police, and others.
I certainly think it would be appropriate to grant recognition to all
of those people. However, I think the victims of flight 93 are in a
special category because they saved the Capitol.
In order to avoid the complications of having a bill discharged from
committee, I have consulted with the Parliamentarian as to the
procedures for having a bill held at the desk.
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