[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11TH

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, 18 years ago today, on a cloudless 
Tuesday morning, my city, our country, our world changed forever. In 
the span of a few hours, the Twin Towers fell, the Pentagon was hit, 
and smoke rose from an empty field in Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 
souls were taken from us that day.
  I knew some of them: a guy I played basketball with in high school, a 
businessman who helped me on my way up, a firefighter I did blood 
drives with. It was one of the bloodiest days on American soil since 
the Civil War.
  Each year, we pause to remember that awful day. We mourn those we 
lost, but we also recognize, in the aftermath of September 11, the 
resiliency of the American people. The resiliency of New Yorkers shone 
through one of the darkest hours in our country.
  Looking back remains difficult even after 18 years. I ride my bike 
through the city of New York and every fifth or sixth street is named 
after a firefighter or a police officer who died, as are parts of 
Brooklyn, Bay Ridge, and places like that. I will never forget. I think 
of it all the time.
  The day after, when President Bush sent Senator Clinton and me to go 
up to New York in planes, we were the only planes in the sky. We were 
in an airliner that had us surrounded by F-18s and F-16s. When we 
landed, we went down to the site. The smell of death and burnt flesh 
was in the air. This I will never forget, a thousand people lined up--
no one knew who had lived and who had died--with little signs: Have you 
seen my mother, Mary? Have you seen my son, Bill?
  That stays with me.
  I remember the generosity of New Yorkers. A man who owned a shoe 
store just north of the Towers gave out free shoes to everybody who was 
fleeing. Many of them had lost their shoes in the long trek down the 
stairs.
  I remember the valor of the first responders who rushed to the 
Towers. I remember a firefighter from Staten Island, based in Brooklyn, 
who went to his firehouse, put his full gear on, and ran through the 
tunnel with about 60, 70 pounds of gear on. It was his day off, but he 
knew he was called. He went up the stairs of the World Trade Center and 
was crushed when the Twin Towers collapsed. So there is a lot.
  Another way I think of this every day, as I am sure you have noticed, 
is that I always wear this flag on my lapel. I called on Americans to 
wear the flag the day after my having witnessed the site, and I have 
worn this flag every day since. Every time I look at it, I think of 
those who were lost, and I think of the valor of New Yorkers and of the 
American people.
  For the first responders, this 9/11 carries additional significance. 
A few months ago, some of the heroes that day were here in Washington 
to celebrate the permanent reauthorization of the Victim Compensation 
Fund. I thank the first responders who came to Washington and helped to 
secure this funding, especially those who are no longer with us--James 
Zadroga, Luis Alvarez, my friend Ray Pfeifer. Wherever they are, I hope 
they are looking down with the knowledge that their brothers and 
sisters are being taken care of.
  God bless those good heroes. May God continue to bless this resilient 
Nation.
  Later this morning, I will return to the floor with the Republican 
leader and my colleagues as we will respect a moment of silence in 
memory of September 11.

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