[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21566]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 21566]]

   EXPRESSING PROFOUND SORROW OF THE CONGRESS FOR DEATH AND INJURIES 
   SUFFERED BY FIRST RESPONDERS IN AFTERMATH OF TERRORIST ATTACKS ON 
                           SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2001

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 233. 
Indeed, on September 11, the lives of every American, and every person 
in the world for that matter, changed forever. To those who lost loved 
ones, I can only express my deepest and sincerest sympathy. I can also 
assure the family, friends, and loved ones of these victims that their 
actions and memories will live on in the American spirit forever.
  No one will ever forget where he or she was on the fateful morning of 
September 11. No one will ever forget what the firefighters, police 
officers, paramedics, and rescue workers were doing when the two towers 
of the World Trade Center collapsed and just minutes after the Pentagon 
was hit by a hijacked plane. No one will ever forget the selfless acts 
of heroism that occurred on United Airlines flight 93, as the actions 
of several individuals possibly saved the lives of thousands. No one 
will ever forget the compassion, patriotism, comraderie, unity, and 
grief that can be felt in our country today.
  There is an old saying that the worst often brings out the best in 
us. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think the same can be said for September 11. 
As the events of that fateful morning continued to unfold, the first 
things that came to my mind, like many of you, quickly turned to my 
family and loved ones. Once I knew that my mother and children were 
safe, I quickly began to focus on the safety of the rest of our 
country.
  Looking back, I guess that you could say I went through a process, a 
checklist if you will. First to may family and loved ones, then to my 
district. The checklist was nothing more than instinct. And in an 
emergency such as September 11 when chaos overwhelms order, many of us 
depend on instinct.
  For the more than 20,000 firefighters, police officers, paramedics, 
and rescue workers, they too relied on nothing more than their 
instinct. They came from near and far in New York, New Jersey, 
Connecticut, Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. 
While we all know that they were thinking of their families as they did 
their jobs, they never let us know. Their instinct told them to get 
into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and do what ever they 
could to get people out of these buildings--alive.
  As reports were coming in that the towers in New York were about to 
collapse, rescue workers continued helping people out of the burning 
buildings because that is what their instinct told them to do. As 
reports were coming in that the Pentagon might crumble, rescue workers 
continued working to pull survivors out of the rubble because that is 
what their instinct told them to do. And when it became apparent that 
the only way to beat the hijackers was to crash their plane with them 
inside of it, the heroic passengers of United Airlines flight 93 put 
the lives of thousands in front of their own because that is what their 
instinct told them to do.
  Mr. Speaker, today we honor and remember the true American heros of 
September 11. For 50 days, these incredible individuals have been 
working at ground zero, in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. On 
behalf of the people of Florida's 23rd District, I say thank you to 
these heros. More so, I ask them to continue doing what they are doing, 
not only out of instinct, but out of passion and conviction, and for 
the American people.
  The work that America's rescue workers have done in the past 50 days, 
and will continue to do in the days, weeks, months, and years to come, 
serves as an example to the rest of our country. The irony of the 
terrorist attacks of September 11 is that the same terrorists who 
succeeded in destroying our buildings only made stronger the spirit 
that they had really hoped to break.
  I know that this is true not only because my instinct tells me, but 
because my head and heart do as well. In the homes, offices, schools, 
and streets of this great country, the American spirit is stronger 
today than it has ever been in my lifetime. The actions of those at 
ground zero on September 11, and the actions of this country in the 
past 50 days, send a clear message to the rest of the world that 
America will not back down from anyone or anything. It never has, and 
it never will.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and may God bless 
America.

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