[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING THE 18TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Riggleman) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RIGGLEMAN. Madam Speaker, 18 years ago, America experienced the 
worst act of terrorism in its history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, 
with many others in emergency services and law enforcement suffering 
long-lasting health complications, sometimes resulting in death.
  September 11, 2001, a day none of us will ever forget, had a deep and 
lasting impact on the lives of all Americans. I was one of the 
thousands who answered the call to serve and to hunt down those 
responsible.
  When I woke on that tragic day, I was serving in the United States 
Air Force as an intelligence officer at Mountain Home Air Force Base in 
Idaho with the 366th Air Expeditionary Wing, 34th Bomb Squadron--the B-
1 bombers. I was and am a proud Mountain Home Gunfighter. Our squadron 
deployed almost immediately as the on-call wing. By early October, I 
and my brothers and sisters in arms were mission planning the first 
bombing runs into Afghanistan.
  I still remember the morning of September 11. Memories come to my 
mind as vividly as if they were yesterday: buttoning the buttons on my 
uniform when my wife yelled at me up the stairs that a plane had hit 
the World Trade Center in New York; a phone call seconds later that I, 
in no uncertain terms, needed to get my butt into the squadron to brief 
my commander on the situation and start loading Conexes; working 
through the night while the base was in lockdown and much of the 
country was in a fog; trying to answer questions from my young 
daughter, wife, and friends about what was happening.

  You are seeing my daughter, here, as I came home from deployment.
  My memories are not unique, and every American has a different 
viewpoint on what happened that day. Some lost friends or family, and 
the tragedy we as a nation felt that day should not be forgotten.
  But the impact of those attacks was not limited to that day, and 
history will write that heroic Americans responded with valor and 
bravery.
  One of the most heinous acts ever committed on American soil did not 
bring us down but brought us together. In the words of former President 
George W. Bush: ``One of the worst days in America's history saw some 
of the bravest acts in Americans' history.''
  Less than 24 hours after the first plane hit the towers in New York, 
deployment orders came. I still remember that feeling, standing on the 
tarmac and then watching from the plane as my three daughters, all 
younger than 10 years old, waved small American flags from down below. 
I was deployed on Active Duty and would be spending the next weeks 
planning bombing runs on Afghanistan to respond to these attacks.
  Our Armed Forces are asked to make sacrifices; leaving their families 
is often one of them. But after 9/11, when so many Americans had 
sacrificed so much more, my brothers and sisters in arms were willing 
to make that sacrifice. Inspired by the heroism of so many 
firefighters, first responders, law enforcement, and citizens who 
answered the call, we knew that America would emerge stronger.
  Eighteen years later, we remember the heroes of 9/11, honor their 
sacrifice, and admire their patriotism. Their memories will last for us 
forever because we will never forget what they gave us, heroic 
Americans who answered the call.
  I was proud to serve with heroes like General Seve Wilson, Bull, 
Bullet, Eli, Scar, Jimbo, Rooster, Mongo, IROC, Stainless, Lost, 
Krenkle, Frengle, Sergeant Lowery, Migo, Psycho, Sassy, Tank, Rachel, 
Linda Vadnais, Atteberry, and so many more. From Ground Zero in New 
York to the Pentagon and across the country, American heroes answered 
the call, and we are forever in their debt.
  God bless the United States of America.

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