[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17530-17531]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            HONORING THE BRAVERY OF MISSOURI TASK FORCE ONE

  Mrs. CARNAHAN. Madam President, during the course of the past week, 
we have witnessed extraordinary acts of bravery. Americans from all 
walks of life have reached deep into their souls and sought to bring 
forth comfort to those who have suffered the unimaginable. Their 
efforts range from simple acts of kindness to the emotionally numbing 
tasks of searching through the aftermath for survivors. Today I rise to 
applaud the efforts of a special team of Americans, Missouri Task Force 
One.
  Created in the early '80s by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
the philosophy behind urban search and rescue was to compile a team of 
highly trained and motivated rescue and medical specialists that could 
find and return people in collapsed buildings. This past week the 62 
volunteers that make up Missouri Task Force One have used the full 
range of their skills in the New York City rescue mission.
  Searchers work in 12-hour shifts. They search around the clock. The 
effort is slow and methodical and emotions run high. ``It's sensory 
overload in every aspect,'' said team member Doug Wasar, a firefighter 
from St. Louis. Yet, despite the fatigue and anguish they face, they 
must be forced to stop and eat. When the shift is over, they are 
reluctant to stop. They are

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driven by an inner force they find hard to explain.
  Their job is as difficult and challenging as perhaps any task that 
has been undertaken since the attack, but their focus remains true. As 
the days and weeks progress and the chances of finding survivors wane, 
they press on, their hope and determination strong.
  On behalf of all Missourians I express my sincere and heartfelt 
appreciation to the heroes and heroines who make up Missouri Task Force 
One. They are shining examples of the best Missouri has to offer and an 
inspiration to the world.

                          ____________________