[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 156 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5525-S5526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

  Mr. McCONNELL. Nineteen years ago tomorrow, thousands of our fellow 
Americans were murdered by terrorists. National landmarks were burning. 
Brave first responders in New York City, Arlington, and Pennsylvania 
rushed into mortal danger, putting their lives on the line to save 
strangers.
  As the dust settled and 3,000 American families grieved their loved 
ones far before their time, we quickly saw there was no going back. The 
old world we had woken up to that Tuesday morning was gone.
  We had not gone overseas in search of these monsters. These monsters 
came to us. These enemies would not leave our Nation alone if we 
declined to confront them, so as we reflect on this anniversary 
tomorrow, we will remember the thousands of innocent Americans who died 
that day and the brave servicemen and women who went on to pay the 
ultimate sacrifice to do justice and to prevent more attacks.
  My fellow Kentuckians and I cannot be prouder of the heroes stationed 
on

[[Page S5526]]

our soil who have deployed throughout the War on Terror. The special 
operators of the 160th, the Night Stalkers, based at Fort Campbell, KY, 
handled the very first airborne insertion of Army troops in mid-
October--a dangerous fight over the Hindu Kush mountains. The soldiers 
they carried were from the famed 5th Special Forces Group, also based 
at Fort Campbell, who formed the tip of the spear to unleash the might 
of America on the terrorists and their Taliban hosts. The famous 101st 
Airborne, also at Fort Campbell, became the first conventional unit on 
the ground just days later.
  Fast-forward a decade, and the Night Stalkers were helicoptering over 
Afghanistan yet again. They inserted and extracted SEAL Team Six the 
night we took Osama bin Laden off the battlefield.
  Thousands more servicemembers deployed from Kentucky's Fort Knox and 
Fort Campbell during the War on Terror, and more than 18,000 soldiers 
and airmen from the Kentucky National Guard had been mobilized to 
defend our Nation.
  Fighting by our side for nearly 20 years now have been our friends 
and NATO allies. America's friends invoked article 5 right away and 
have fought alongside us to defeat this global threat.
  That dark day occasioned brave contributions from so many--from the 
firefighters who sprinted through the smoke to the citizens who donated 
blood and flew our flag, to the young men and women who are stationed 
thousands of miles from home right now to help our Nation project power 
and protect our homeland.
  We did what Americans do. We stayed strong. We stuck together. We 
rolled up our sleeves, and we rebuilt. Some rebuilt their lives. Others 
rebuilt buildings. Some put on the uniform and rebuilt peace and 
security with their own hands.
  May we never fail to honor them, and may we never tire of the 
toughness, vigilance, and persistence it has taken--and will continue 
to take--to make our pledge, ``Never Again,'' a reality.

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