[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 123 (Friday, July 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1565-E1566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE FBI ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2008

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of attending the 100th 
anniversary commemoration event for the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
on July 17 at the National Building Museum.
  I insert for the record the remarks of Robert S. Mueller III, who was 
appointed the sixth director of the Bureau just one week before the

[[Page E1566]]

terrorist attacks on America of September 11, 2001, and salute Director 
Mueller and the thousands of FBI employees and leaders over the years 
for their dedication and bravery in protecting their country and their 
fellow citizens.

100th Anniversary Commemoration, National Building Museum, Washington, 
                           DC, July 17, 2008

 (By Robert S. Mueller III, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation)

       Good morning. It is truly an honor to be here today to mark 
     this significant milestone in the Bureau's history and to 
     share in the celebration of this occasion--the 100th 
     anniversary of the FBI.
       My thanks to Attorney General Mukasey and the many other 
     distinguished guests for joining us today.
       My special thanks, also, to Directors Webster, Sessions, 
     and Freeh, for being here. Together, they represent three 
     decades at the Bureau in which we saw a strong emphasis on 
     white collar crime and organized crime, as well as 
     counterintelligence cases. We witnessed innovations in crime-
     solving technologies and a dramatic expansion of our 
     international program.
       But let's go back a bit further in history.
       One hundred years ago, Attorney General Charles Joseph 
     Bonaparte organized a group of investigators under the 
     Justice Department. In July, 1908, the Bureau of 
     Investigation opened its doors.
       The first Bureau employees numbered just 34--nine 
     detectives, thirteen civil rights investigators, and twelve 
     accountants. They investigated, among other things, antitrust 
     matters, land fraud, and copyright violations.
       Compare that to today's FBI--a threat-based, intelligence-
     driven, technologically supported agency of over 30,000 
     employees--employees who are working in 56 field offices and 
     61 offices overseas. Employees who are combatting crimes as 
     diverse as terrorism, corporate fraud, cyber crime, human 
     trafficking, and money laundering. J. Edgar Hoover would have 
     been proud.
       Today's FBI is often, and I believe accurately, described 
     as one of the world's few intelligence and law enforcement 
     agencies combined.
       The culture of the FBI is now, and for the past 100 years 
     has been, a culture of hard work and dedication to protecting 
     the United States, no matter what the challenges.
       In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it became clear 
     that the FBI's number one priority must be the prevention of 
     another terrorist attack. We refocused our mission, revised 
     our priorities, and realigned our work force. We strengthened 
     lines of communication between the Bureau and our partners in 
     the global intelligence and law enforcement community. And we 
     are now stronger and better equipped to confront the threats 
     we face today.
       Today's FBI continues to reflect and embody its motto--
     Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. It is a motto emblazoned on 
     the FBI Seal. And it is worth its weight in gold.
       For the past 100 years, the men and women of the FBI have 
     lived out their commitment to Fidelity, Bravery, and 
     Integrity. It is precisely because they have done so that the 
     Bureau has the reputation that it enjoys today.
       Even so, these are qualities that need to be constantly 
     burnished by the men and women of the Bureau, to ensure they 
     do not rust for lack of use.
       For most of us, fidelity is faithfulness to an obligation, 
     trust, or duty.
       For the men and women of the FBI, fidelity also means 
     fidelity to country. It means fidelity to justice and the 
     law, fidelity to the Constitution, fidelity to equality and 
     liberty.
       Bravery is the quality of being willing to face danger, 
     pain, or trouble; to remain unafraid. Bravery is not merely 
     the act of rushing in where others flee. It is the quiet, 
     diligent dedication to facing down those who would do us harm 
     and bring them to justice.
       The well-known tennis champion and social humanitarian, 
     Arthur Ashe, once said, ``True heroism is remarkably sober, 
     very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at 
     whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever 
     cost.''
       Bravery is the capstone in the stories of Special Agents 
     Rodney Miller, John O'Neill, and Lenny Hatton. On September 
     11, Miller and O'Neill went up, not down, the stairs of the 
     North Tower of the World Trade Center to help others get out. 
     Rodney Miller went all the way up to the 86th floor, offering 
     assistance to fire and police personnel on the scene. Through 
     radio transmissions, Lenny Hatton reported the crash of the 
     second plane, and then assisted with evacuation efforts. 
     Neither he nor John O'Neill survived.
       And we will never know how many lives were saved as a 
     result of their and the other first responders' extraordinary 
     bravery on that day.
       Although their stories are unique, their bravery is 
     repeated by the men and women of the FBI working each and 
     every day around the country, and around the world.
       Whether cracking down on public corruption or white collar 
     crime that corrodes the public trust. Or capturing criminals 
     who exploit children on the Internet, or commit violent 
     crime, hate crime, organized crime, espionage, or terrorism.
       Such bravery can be seen in the story of Jay Tabb, a member 
     of our Hostage Rescue Team. Tabb received the FBI Star after 
     being shot and seriously wounded during the arrest of a 
     wanted fugitive. Just months later, during a search of a 
     terrorist safe-house in Afghanistan, he was injured again by 
     a suicide bomber. Despite his own injuries, he rescued four 
     wounded soldiers. After each incident his first question was, 
     how soon can I get back to work with my team?
       Bravery can be seen in the story of Port Authority Police 
     Detective Tom McHale, who has served on our Newark Joint 
     Terrorism Task Force since 1995. The morning of September 11, 
     McHale was blocks from the World Trade Center when he heard 
     the first plane fly overhead. He raced to the scene to assist 
     with evacuations and rescues. He was caught in both building 
     collapses and injured. And yet as a trained ironworker, 
     McHale spent the next weeks in the rubble cutting through 
     steel and recovering bodies. He worked at Ground Zero for 12 
     hours a day, before reporting for duty on the Joint Terrorist 
     Task Force to help with thousands of leads.
       Bravery can be seen in the work of Jennifer Keenan, the 
     first female Special Agent to be stationed in Pakistan and 
     Yemen, and who helped carry out dangerous missions in both of 
     those countries. Along with Tom McHale, Keenan was part of 
     the FBI team in Pakistan who captured Al Qaeda suspect Abu 
     Zubaidah.
       Bravery can be seen in the story of Special Agent Bruce 
     Bennett and three other agents, who were seriously wounded 
     just last March in a terrorist bombing, also in Pakistan.
       And it can be seen in the story of Walter Walsh, our oldest 
     living Special Agent, who survived shootouts with gangsters 
     in the 1930s.
       And it so happens that each of these individuals is with us 
     today. Would you all please stand so we can recognize you?
       And yet there is no shortage of heroes in the FBI. I am 
     certain there are also many unsung heroes with us in the 
     audience today--heroes whose stories may never be told. We 
     honor them as well.
       For the men and women of the FBI, bravery is reflected not 
     only in the physical courage often necessary in the job. It 
     can be seen in the courage of conviction, in the courage to 
     act with wisdom in the face of fear, and in the courage it 
     takes to admit mistakes and move forward.
       This brings us to the third quality that defines the 
     Bureau, and that is integrity. It is the quality of being of 
     sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.
       For the men and women of the FBI, integrity is reflected in 
     all that we say and we do--in honesty, in keeping promises, 
     in fairness, in respect for others, and in compassion.
       Integrity is, in some ways, the most important of the three 
     words that make up our motto. Integrity is the fire by which 
     fidelity and bravery are tested.
       Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity set the expectations for 
     behavior; they set a standard for our work. More than just a 
     motto, for the men and women of the FBI, Fidelity, Bravery, 
     and Integrity is a way of life.
       And it has always been a way of life. It has been said of 
     FBI employees that they stand on the shoulders of their 
     predecessors. Indeed, we do.
       And while it is a time of change in the FBI, our values 
     will never change.
       It is not enough to stop the terrorist--we must stop him 
     while maintaining his civil liberties.
       It is not enough to catch the criminal--we must catch him 
     while respecting his civil rights.
       It is not enough to prevent foreign countries from stealing 
     our secrets--we must prevent that from happening while still 
     upholding the rule of law.
       The rule of law, civil liberties, and civil rights--these 
     are not our burdens. They are what make us better. And they 
     are what have made us better for the past 100 years.
       The men and women of the FBI today are part of history in 
     the making. We understand that we have been passed a legacy 
     and that it remains our responsibility to both build on and 
     to pass on that legacy to those who will succeed us.
       John F. Kennedy once said, ``. . . when at some future date 
     the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us . . 
     . our success or failure, in whatever office we hold, will be 
     measured by the answers to four questions: First, were we 
     truly men of courage? Second, were we truly men of judgment? 
     Third, were we truly men of integrity? Finally, were we truly 
     men of dedication?''
       The men and women of the FBI, here and around the world, 
     past and present, can resoundingly answer yes to each of 
     these questions. That is because they live our motto each and 
     every day.
       Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity remain the attributes of 
     an organization with a proud history of distinguished service 
     to the nation. And each of us is indeed honored to be part of 
     that.
       With Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity defining every FBI 
     employee, we stand fully ready to face the challenges of the 
     next century.
       Thank you all again for being here with us today and God 
     bless.




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