[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 125 (Monday, September 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        SEPTEMBER 11 ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID VITTER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 30, 2002

  Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001 our people, our 
democracy, and our values were attacked in a cowardly and reprehensible 
way. I visited the Pentagon two days after the attacks, and the sheer 
devastation viewed in person was beyond the imagination.
  When I made it back home to Louisiana, I hugged my wife and kids and 
could not help but think of the people who never returned home on 
September 11. That fateful day introduced us to hundreds of heroes. And 
it reintroduced us to the wonderful spirit of our nation.
  I visited Ground Zero for the Commemorative Joint Meeting of Congress 
one year later and visited the Pentagon on the anniversary of the 
attacks. These sites--along with the Pennsylvania crash site--stand as 
reminders of the devastation our country suffered, but they also remind 
us that America is not devastated.
  We are unified in the knowledge that democracy and freedom will 
prevail. People across the country have, over the last year, 
demonstrated to the world that terrorism can never destroy our way of 
life. And I am proud of our country, proud of my fellow citizens for 
the patriotism, spirit, and strength they have shown over the last 
year.
  It is a great honor to serve in Congress at this time, and I take 
very seriously my pledge to protect and defend the United States of 
America.
  May God bless us all, and may He continue to bless our great nation.

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