[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1796]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REGARDING THE 
 TERRORIST ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 
                                  2001

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                               speech of

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 2008

  Mr. MARKEY. Madam Speaker, Last week, our Nation commemorated the 
seventh anniversary of the most devastating attack on our country since 
Pearl Harbor. We remembered the victims and their families, and we also 
honored the heroism of the fire fighters, police officers, emergency 
workers and everyday Americans who rushed to help those caught in the 
almost unimaginable violence on that day.
  The attack has left an indelible mark on our Nation. The two planes 
that were crashed into the World Trade Center towers took off from 
Boston's Logan Airport on that clear Tuesday morning.
  Last week at Logan Airport, a new memorial was dedicated to the 147 
men, women and children who perished on American Airlines Flight 11 and 
United Airlines Flight 175. I ask unanimous consent to insert in the 
Record a statement from Massachusetts Port Authority Chairman Dr. John 
Quelch on the occasion of the dedication of the 9/11 memorial at Logan 
Airport.
  We will never forget the heroism of the Americans affected by the 
September 11th attacks.

                     Remarks of Dr. John A. Quelch

       For the past 7 years, there have already been two memorials 
     at Logan Airport, dedicated to the 147 men, women and 
     children who perished the morning of September 11, 2001 on 
     American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175.
       One stands outside Gate 32 in American Airline's Terminal 
     B. The other stands outside Gate 19 in United's Terminal C. 
     Both memorials appeared spontaneously, raised by airport and 
     airline employees without fanfare or ceremony. These two 
     memorials are one and the same. And there is no grander 
     memorial. That memorial is the flag of the United States of 
     America.
       The flags fly proudly to this day, and will likely fly 
     forever. They symbolize the determination of this airport, 
     this Nation, and the community assembled here to recover from 
     that grievous wound.
       Today, we dedicate a third memorial as a remembrance of 
     that day and its impact on all of us. This memorial is 
     accessible to all who come to this airport. And this memorial 
     acknowledges each lost soul by name.
       It is a simple tribute. A quiet place of reflection. 
     Hopefully, a place for healing. And, with the passage of 
     time, a place for learning and education, as well.
       This memorial is first and foremost for you, the family 
     members and friends of those who perished that sunny 
     September morning. They never asked to make history, yet they 
     did so in the saddest possible way.
       The weight of September 11 also bore heavily on the entire 
     Logan airport community who were devastated to learn that two 
     of our flights--our flight 11, our flight 175--were 
     instruments in the tragedy that unfolded. We at Massport and 
     the entire Logan family hope that you--and we--will find 
     comfort in this place. And in the years to come, we hope that 
     many thousands of visitors--perhaps millions--will also come 
     here to reflect, to heal and to learn.
       Changing our own lives will be the greatest gift we can 
     give to the departed. They surely expect more from us than to 
     merely memorialize their names. They surely want us to do 
     more, work harder, be better, to be inspired by remembering 
     them.
       So, for the sacrifice of those we honor here today, may 
     this memorial therefore make us better fathers and mothers, 
     sons and daughters.
       For their sacrifice, may we be better custodians of the 
     public trust, ever vigilant for the public safety.
       For their sacrifice may we be better citizens and 
     neighbors.
       And in the morning, with the rising of the sun, and with 
     the sounds of freedom in the sky, we shall remember them.

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