[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1621-E1622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, it is difficult to believe that it has 
been 9 years to the day when our Nation was attacked by foreign 
terrorists who claimed the lives of 2,977 Americans including 411 of 
our Nation's bravest first responders.
  As a Member of the Homeland Security Committee I am proud of the 
steps we have taken since that fateful day to make the American people 
safer, but our work is far from complete and this is a mission we, as 
public servants, can never stop striving to achieve.
  I am also proud that this Congress passed the aptly-named Edward M. 
Kennedy Serve America Act which designates September 11 as a National 
Day of Service and Remembrance.
  On September 11 more so than any other day of the year we should come 
together as Americans and find new ways to serve our Nation.
  For it was on September 11 that so many Americans unexpectedly found 
themselves in the middle of a truly horrible situation and yet summoned 
the courage to help save others without regard to themselves.
  So I say to all of you that many of the wounds of that fateful day 
will heal over time, but that we will never forget the heroism we 
witnessed, the lessons we learned, and the redemption the American 
people earned through our own strength.
  On September 11, more than any other day in our history, we witnessed 
what it truly means to serve our Nation as a first responder.
  We witnessed police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics racing up 
flights of stairs, hoping to save even a few more lives, without once 
thinking about their own safety.
  Its not only those of you who are already serving our communities 
that understand this sacrifice, it is also evident in all of our 
current trainees, because after 9/11 no one could possibly make the 
commitment to being a first responder without fully understanding what 
kind of sacrifice was being asked of them.
  As a public servant, I can not pretend to relate to this level of 
sacrifice, but I do strongly share your determination that those first 
responders who lost their lives on 9/11 should not just merely be 
commemorated, but in fact their memories should spur us towards making 
our Nation stronger and safer.
  As a Member of Congress and as an original member of the House 
Homeland Security Committee, I believe we must commit ourselves to 
providing our Nation's first responders with all the tools they need to 
protect our communities.

[[Page E1622]]

  I also believe it is critical on this day to say that we need 
Congress to bring back the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation 
Act--and this time we need bipartisan support to pass it.
  While the entire Nation watched with sorrow for those we lost and 
tried to heal emotionally after that day--there were only a few brave 
souls who went back to that rubble day-after-day and endured the 
physical and mental strain of clearing the remains of the towers in 
lower Manhattan.
  On that day we gave those brave souls the ``all clear'' sign, but we 
now know that we were exposing those men and women to a poisonous dust 
that would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
  We need this bill because it will finally provide comprehensive 
health care and compensation for thousands of our ailing 9/11 heroes.
  This isn't just a bill for New York and New Jersey--this is a bill 
for all Americans. We know that people from all 50 States were in lower 
Manhattan on or after 9/11 and now are facing serious health concerns.
  This is not about Bill Pascrell or any other public official, but I 
tell you all of this because I want you, the protectors of our 
communities, to know that I stand firmly behind the mission of our 
Nation's first responders.
  We can not turn back the clock and provide our first responders with 
the equipment they should have had on 9/11, but we must take every step 
necessary to ensure that all of you are equipped with the tools 
necessary to face all the threats of the future.
  These are bipartisan solutions that all Americans have embraced 
because we understand now that if we are not strong here in our 
communities than we are not safe as a Nation.
  I want to conclude by simply stating that even 9 years after 9/11 we 
will continue to bow our heads for those we lost, but we will also hold 
our hands in solidarity with one another, in the determination of those 
brave first responders who proved on 9/11 that we may have been 
attacked, but that we would not be defeated.

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