[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5530-S5531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            REMEMBERING 9/11

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today on this most moving and 
memorable of occasions after we as a nation joined together to mark the 
solemn 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. 
Throughout my home State of Maine and across this great land, Americans 
are uniting as one nation indivisible as we pause to remember with the 
heaviest of hearts the tragedy that befell our nation 10 years ago--a 
morning that changed America--and Americans--forever.
  We are all a different people in America--no matter our faith or 
ancestry--as a result of the horrific events on
9/11 that are ingrained upon the landscape of our consciousness for all 
time. We all know where we were and what we were doing at the precise 
time they happened. As many of us remember the assassination of 
President Kennedy, and some Pearl Harbor, our children will remember 
this day.
  As we recall, that morning began with such remarkable blue skies, but 
ended with a Nation in mourning and stunned disbelief. In Washington, 
DC, I watched the images along with the rest of the world. Later, as 
the Sun set over the National Mall--still capped by smoke billowing 
from the wound in the side of the Pentagon--I will never forget 
gathering with my colleagues in the House and Senate on the Capitol 
steps to sing ``God Bless America.'' We sang to send a message to the 
country and to the world that we would never be deterred--that freedom 
would never be crushed by the blunt and remorseless instruments of 
terror.
  The notes of ``God Bless America'' still reverberate, the resilience 
we recaptured as a country remains pressed upon our national psyche, 
and the memory of the inspirational sacrifices of so many heroic 
Americans who perished that morning will forever have a home in our 
hearts and our prayers.
  On this September 11 as in all that have preceded it, we mourn the 
loss of those eight individuals from Maine who were taken from us all 
too soon--Anna Allison, Carol Flyzik, Robert Jalbert, Jacqueline 
Norton, Robert Norton, James Roux, Robert Schlegel, and Stephen Ward.
  We remember the heroic acts of valor that will always distinguish the 
men and women of 115 different nations who went to work that day, or 
boarded a plane, or rushed to the aid of strangers whose lives they 
believed were as vital as their own--and never returned home. If 9/11 
was a snapshot of horror, it also became a portrait of consummate 
humanity. If it laid bare the unimaginable cruelties of which humankind 
is capable, it also etched forever within our minds the heights to 
which the human spirit can rise--even and especially in the face of 
mortality.
  Each had a soul, and having visited Ground Zero in the aftermath, I 
can tell you their presence still triumphed over the twisted 
destruction--and it always will. We recall that during one of the 
darkest days in our Nation's extraordinary and storied history, we also 
witnessed our Nation's mettle and solidarity, the inexhaustible courage 
and undaunted bravery that provided us with boundless inspiration and 
hope that sustained us then and inspires us today.
  And nowhere was that more evident than with the first responders who, 
in the face of unspeakable adversity and peril, heroically ran toward 
the very dangers others were desperately trying to escape, placing 
their lives in harm's way in the most courageous and valiant of 
endeavors to save others without regard for their own safety.
  As Americans, we are awed by the noble examples of courage and 
selflessness that emerged. When the alarm went off in fire stations 
across New York, firefighters were changing shifts. If they were on the 
way home, they turned around. If they were finishing up at the 
firehouse, getting ready to leave, they stayed. Some were retired--
veterans already at home--and they reported in. Many were to find 
themselves climbing higher and higher in those great silver towers 
toward a fate that must have become clearer with every step.
  Their valiant service and sacrifice are also a vivid reminder of the 
remarkable men and women exceptional enough to don our country's 
uniform to serve and defend our nation. Whether on our shores or soil 
here at home or around the globe, their steadfast sense of duty and 
love of country are an inspiration to us all, their commitment 
fortifies our will, and their professionalism steadies our hands in an 
uncertain world.
  As I gathered with Mainers across our State, I could not help but 
feel that inescapable, palpable sense of patriotism that binds us all 
together as Americans. It is also, I believe, a continuation of the 
heightened love of country all of us experienced when our Nation's 
bravest and finest--in this case our Navy SEALs--achieved what Americas 
detractors said was unachievable. They triumphantly rid the world of 
public enemy number one, and brought justice to the evil incarnate that 
was Osama bin Laden.
  In speaking of bin Laden, I have often sounded the refrain that you 
can run but you cannot hide. Well, thanks to the combined might of our 
military, intelligence, and counter-terrorism professionals, the 
message sent to the terrorists of the world with the death of Osama bin 
Laden is that America will prevail no matter how long it takes, 
whatever it takes, no matter where you are.
  Though justice was finally rendered, the unending pain of loved ones 
lost does not ease with the passing of years, and yet out of these 
atrocities emerged heroes who were then and will forever be shining 
testaments to the very best of who we are as a nation. And so, today, 
we memorialize those whose lives were stilled on September 11, and at 
the same time, we cannot help but extol the courage and indomitable 
spirit they exhibited.
  It was an unmistakable message to the world that we would never be 
deterred--that our freedoms could never be crushed by the cowardly 
instruments of terror that are no match against a resilient people 
certain in the knowledge that good ultimately triumphs over evil.
  What better symbol could there be of our mettle as a people than the 
historic National 9/11 Flag initiative. Americans across our country 
are stitching together the tattered remnants of one of the largest 
flags that flew over the wreckage at Ground Zero. When our beloved 
banner of freedom arrived at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, I cannot 
begin to convey the sense of honor and privilege I experienced in 
contributing to its restoration. And to share in this event with first 
responders, 9/11 families, and veterans made this moment one I will 
treasure, always.
  This expression of love for our homeland speaks to the inescapable 
belief that our strength as a nation has always emanated not from 
Washington, but from the people themselves--from tireless patriots of 
their own volition performing the most extraordinary of deeds.
  Patriots like the exemplary Freeport Flag Ladies--Elaine Greene, 
Carmen Footer, and JoAnn Miller, who have waved American flags on Main 
Street every Tuesday morning, rain, snow, or shine, since 9-11 in 
tribute to those who have sacrificed for all of us--our brave 
servicemen and women and our first responders. It was the highest of 
honors for me to join them early Sunday morning on Main Street in 
Freeport to wave flags on the 10th anniversary.
  Amid the trials and tribulations that this date in our history 
evokes, we take solace in the sacred truth that none of us grieves 
alone--that there are no strangers among us, only Americans. Indeed, 
out of the rubble rose our resolve, out of despair grew our 
determination, and out of the hate that was perpetrated upon us proudly 
stood our humanity. And so, we venerate the American spirit that is 
stronger than stone and mortar, tougher than steel and glass, and more 
permanent than any pain or suffering that can be inflicted upon us.

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