[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 156 (Friday, September 10, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E961-E962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A PIECE OF GLASS, IN MEMORY OF THOMAS BUTLER OF SQUAD ONE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ANDREW R. GARBARINO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 10, 2021

  Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a poetic tribute in 
honor of Thomas Butler and his father, William. I presented to his 
family on the day of his funeral after his father had given me a piece 
of glass from the World Trade Center where Thomas died. I include in 
the Record this poem, penned by Albert Caswell.

                            A Piece of Glass

                       (by Albert Carey Caswell)

     A Father and a Hero who raised a fine son
     A man who dedicated his entire life to saving others this one
     As too his fine son's life journey had just begun
     His little boy,
     his pride and joy
     as one day too he'd follow his father's most courageous 
           footsteps his son
     And try as he may,
     this most splendid of all men who so many had saved,
     could not but save his own most precious of all ones
     A piece of glass now in my hands
     As once before stood so very grand
     Within your two great Twin Towers,
     gracing this fair city throughout all the hours
     as high above a majestic skyline you ran
      With your twin bright beacons of hope,
     and your islands of ingenuity and determination to all hearts 
           spoke

[[Page E962]]

     With your Gotham Tributes to all of Womankind and Man which 
           invoked
     And from that first day begun
     As a construction worker peering out through you up towards 
           the rising sun
     Until, that final opening day
     When, your most magnificent fruition was portrayed,
     in this your most historic of all runs
      And with each new succeeding day
      While, gazing through you and pressing hands all upon you as 
           would they
     And how many countless hours,
     throughout all those snow storms, blizzards, thunder storms 
           and rain showers
     When, upon a bright beautiful spring day,
     planning their escapes, counting the minutes . . . to the 
           seconds . . . the hours
     Running down below to their most beloved ones so,
     as there they would come rushing out of your most majestic of 
           all Towers
     And how many weddings were so amassed?
     With, young hearts here so enamored as the time had passed
     As it was all here along love's path
     And how about all those most beautiful babies born,
     from all those true fine loves warmed here so to last
     Ah yes, as it was in this the most magnificent of all 
           buildings,
     which held so many hearts at bay with the spells that they'd 
           cast
     On 9/11, while looking out you on that fine fall day
     Up towards those jet blue skies as the white clouds drifted 
           on by and far away
     As so unsuspectingly their own death's they could not for 
           see,
     unaware of what dreaded dark death and dark evil before them 
           now lay
     Perhaps, with but thoughts of loved ones beating in their 
           hearts on that day,
     at what was to be their last and most tragically heroic of 
           all days
     And `Oh . . . . but did you so see all of those planes coming 
           crashing in and so wince?
     While, watching in such shock and in horror at all of its 
           most vulgar carnage
      At the lost of all those fine innocents
     As down below you witnessed all those brave hearts,
     magnificent souls gallantly rushing in without regard of 
           consequence
     Our most fearless firefighters, and most precious police,
     and brave citizen saviors who stayed armed with but only 
           their beliefs
     And 'oh how it must have shattered you to see
     All of those splendid people, women and men
     Together holding hands, jumping off in such misery and grief
     As I ask you now, did Tommy in those last final moments
     While, looking through you think of his most beloved family 
           out too his heart reached.
     As he came rushing up the stairs on his way to Heaven,
     passing death's cold stare to our Lord speaks
     As he stood there, as one of the most courageous of all ones
     So Magnificently Bill Butler's fine son
     And from this day of all days what are we all here to so take
     With all such grief and so much horrendous heartache
     That still within our beating hearts,
     within its rhythm something far much more greater now to take
     And from all of their most tragic deaths of which we are now 
           left
     Are all those bright lights as Angels names up in Heaven now 
           bless
     Comes this great consolation in hearts knowing,
     that all those who heroically died to Heaven surely rose up 
           no less
     Burying our babies, our daughters and sons
     for there can be no greatest pain for a parent begun
     While, there in the darkness all alone,
     our Lord sees and hear's your most desperate of all moans
     Up in Heaven our Lord in his love cries,
     as his tears wash down upon us when there comes a gentle rain 
           from his eyes
     To ease our pain for all our lost daughters and sons
     Somehow find the strength until your reunited again
     A piece of glass as given to me
     By a wonderful Father,
     all in the midst of this his families most dark tragedy
     Forever and a day,
     as with me this his most precious of all gift's will stay
     To be ever revered in my family
     As it's with chills I now stand . . . with quivering hands,
     remembering the sacred name of a hero named Thomas Butler 
           eternally
     And from this day on a great lesson as born,
     to teach my children of Thomas's sacrifice so warm
     And for the generations to come,
     I shall plant those seeds of his faith to all of my children 
           and theirs among
     Of all those like Thomas who died and sacrificed like Christ 
           to Kingdom Come
     About all their selfless seeds of faith, courage and 
           sacrifice
     With their greatest gifts but for the greater good to give up 
           ones life
      To nourish others' souls about Thomas's life
     Remembering 9/11 and all those fine heroes,
     and all their sacred gifts who which did not to think twice
     A piece of glass, was once but just mere sand
     As it is we who here who are made up of flesh and blood and 
           hands
     Who here with hearts and souls and courageous acts and in our 
           tears now stand
     Goodness . . . Evil . . . Darkness . . . Light
     In the moment of truth will we burn bright?
     Will we reside in the darkness or choose rise up in the 
           light?
     And for all those who do,
     are but our Lord's chosen people in his heart burns bright
     As we peer back through time
     looking back upon this the very soul of Woman and Mankind
     That on this day we fully understand
     That buildings can rise,
     and in time may not stand
      But, in our Lord's heart
     There are far greater thing's which command
      Which, leaves him in awe
     Of the most sacred of all gifts to understand
     All those who give up one's life for another will rest in 
           God's hands
     As here I stand, with a sacred piece of glass in my hands
     Forever and a day,
     these lessons of sacrifice and Thomas I'll take on my way
      And a sacred piece of glass given to me by a wonderful man

       In Memory of Thomas Butler and all the Heroes of 9/11, on 
     Sunday May 26, 2002. I took the families of the Memorial Day 
     Concert on a tour of the Capitol, Thomas Butler's Father Bill 
     Butler presented A Piece of Glass from the World Trade Center 
     to me in the crypt of the United States Capitol building 
     after I had recited 2 poems about the Heroes of 9/11. I went 
     to his son's funeral in Long Island and printed this poem to 
     his family.

                          ____________________