[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5431-S5432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering September 11th

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, earlier today we paused and commemorated 
those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
  Eighteen years have passed, but the memory of that day remains as 
vivid as if it were yesterday. We each have our own recollections of 
where we were and what we were doing as the horrifying terrorist 
attacks on our country began to unfold.
  I remember having the television on and watching a report that a 
plane--

[[Page S5432]]

originally reported as a small plane--had struck one of the Twin 
Towers. I then shortly thereafter saw the second aircraft strike the 
World Trade Center. It was then that I knew our country was under 
attack. I told my staff to stay away from the Capitol Building because 
I feared it, too, could be a target.
  Today, we all still share the powerful emotions of shock, anger, and 
grief. I was worried about not only my staff, those in the buildings, 
but also staff members who were on their way back from Portland, ME, 
which turns out to be where some of the terrorists began their journey 
of death and destruction that day.
  On the evening of that terrible day, Members of Congress gathered 
together on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. With tears in our eyes and 
sorrow in our hearts, together we sang ``God Bless America.'' The 
emotions of shock, anger, and grief were joined by unity, resolve, and 
patriotism. That sense that swept over us as we sang was a source of 
strength in the challenges that we faced in the fight against 
terrorism.
  So many were killed that horrific day. In my State of Maine, we 
remember Robert and Jackie Norton of Lubec, a devoted retired couple 
who boarded Flight 11 to celebrate a son's wedding on the west coast. 
We remember James Roux of Portland, an Army veteran and a devoted 
father, who was on his way to a business meeting in California. We 
remember Robert Schlegel of Gray, who was celebrating his recent 
promotion to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy and was still 
settling into his new office at the Pentagon when the plane struck. We 
remember Stephen Ward of Gorham, who was working on the 101st floor of 
the North Tower that terrible morning.
  On this solemn anniversary, we join all Americans in remembering the 
nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day--lives of 
accomplishment, contribution, and promise. Each loss leaves a wound in 
the hearts of families and friends that can never be fully healed.
  We honor the heroes of that day. We are still moved by the selfless 
courage of the men and women on Flight 93 who wrestled that plane to 
the ground in Pennsylvania, sacrificing their lives so that others 
might live. We are inspired by the firefighters, EMS personnel, and 
police officers at the World Trade Center who continued to climb upward 
to rescue those who were in peril even as the Twin Towers were tumbling 
down. The New York City Fire Department alone lost 343 firefighters who 
responded to the attacks.
  We pay tribute today and every day to the first responders, the 
military personnel, and the civilians who rushed into the smoke and 
flames at the Pentagon to lead others to safety.
  We express our gratitude to those who have given so much to defend 
our Nation against terrorism, the men and women of our Armed Forces.
  While millions of Americans watched in horror as the tragedy unfolded 
on that terrible day, the thousands of courageous first responders who 
rushed to the World Trade Center, who rushed to that field in 
Pennsylvania, who rushed to the Pentagon to help search for victims and 
to help bring anyone they could to safety, still inspire us. They put 
themselves in imminent danger to save the lives of others.
  Later on, years later, we learned that the toxic dust and debris that 
many were exposed to have caused chronic illnesses. The overwhelmingly 
bipartisan vote in the Senate in July to permanently reauthorize the 9/
11 Victim Compensation Fund ensures that those first responders who 
risked their lives to save their fellow Americans will always be 
supported and their illnesses treated.
  September 11 was a day of personal tragedy for so many families. It 
was also an attack on the United States of America and an assault on 
civilization. We must never forget what was lost and what remains at 
stake. We must continue our pledge--the pledge we made that horrific 
day--to do all we can to prevent future attacks.
  The fundamental obligation of government is to protect its people. 
Since September 11, 2001, we have done much to meet that obligation, 
but more work remains. In the aftermath of those attacks, former 
Senator from Connecticut Joe Lieberman and I, as the leaders of the 
Senate Homeland Security Committee, worked in a bipartisan way with the 
leaders of the 9/11 Commission and the families of those who were lost 
to terrorist attacks on that day to pass the most sweeping reforms of 
our intelligence community since World War II. It is significant that 
the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act passed the Senate 
by a vote of 96 to 2 and that, of the hundreds of amendments that were 
considered, not a single one was decided by a party-line vote.
  In what seemed like a moment, September 11, 2001, was transformed 
from a day like any other into one that forever will stand alone. The 
loss we relive reminds us of the value of all that we must protect. The 
heroism reminds us of the unconquerable spirit of the American people. 
Our accomplishments remind us that we can meet any challenge. As long 
as we keep this day of remembrance in our hearts, we shall meet the 
challenges that lie ahead.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.