[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                IN HONOR OF LT. COMMANDER ERIC CRANFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2001

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lt. Commander Eric 
Cranford, who lost his life in service to our nation on September 11th. 
A Navy rescue pilot, Lt. Commander Cranford knew danger, he knew 
sacrifice--and courage could have been his middle name. If Eric had not 
been in the Pentagon that fateful morning, or if his side of the 
building had not been hit, you can bet he would have sacrificed his own 
safety, risking his own life to rescue others. He had done it before. 
It was his job. And we pay our respects to him, his wife Emily Cozort 
Cranford and his entire family. I want to personally salute my friend 
and Emily's Uncle Jack Cozort who led efforts to establish a 
scholarship at North Carolina State University, Eric and Emily's alma 
mater, for Burke County students in Eric's name.
  Earlier this week, our nation observed Veterans Day in remembrance 
and in gratitude of the many men and women like Lt. Commander Cranford 
have served our nation so bravely in the United States military. 
Veterans have always represented what is best about our great nation, 
From the American Revolution's Minutemen to today's soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, and marines, American men and women have dedicated themselves 
to the preservation of liberty and democracy throughout the history of 
our country.
  Those in uniform--past and present--are the defenders of the American 
values that have made our nation strong and kept us free. I commend 
each and every one of them for their brave service to America. This 
Veterans Day, we gathered with heavy hearts and troubled minds. We are 
at war. It is a war Eric Cranford and those who lost their lives at the 
Pentagon on September 11th would have been ready to fight. Today, we 
face the greatest challenge to our freedom since World War II. 
September 11 will forever be remembered as a day that evil visited our 
great nation as never before. Four commercial planes were transformed 
into missiles and aimed at buildings that define our nation, and 
symbolize our freedom and values. These attacks resulted in a loss of 
life on a scale not seen in our country since the Civil War.
  The terrorists who committed these terrible acts on completely 
innocent men, women and children are not just criminals. They are 
mortal enemies of the United States of America. But these cowards 
cannot hide forever. We must pursue them to the ends of the earth to 
ensure that international terrorists can never again threaten innocent 
Americans.
  Once again, we have called on our men and women in uniform to defend 
those values we hold so dear. President Bush has said that this 
campaign will not be simple, it will not be quick, and it will not be 
without casualties. But we will show the world that any enemy who 
chooses to test the resolve of the United States and its allies will 
face the collective might of our military. I have full confidence in 
our Commander in Chief and our armed forces.
  We will win this war because we cannot afford to fail. We will win 
this war for Eric Cranford and the thousands who lost their lives on 
September 11. We will win it for Emily, and those who were left behind 
to mourn. We will win it because we are a good and just nation and 
because evil must not be allowed to flourish anywhere in this world. We 
must show these cowards that their efforts to terrorize us will not 
succeed.
  As we pray for those fighting to avenge the terrible events of 
September 11, let us not forget those who came before them. Their great 
strength and sacrifice during the conflicts of the Twentieth Century 
moved heaven and earth, and showed the world that the American warrior 
is the most potent force on the face of the earth. Millions of men and 
women served bravely in the first and second World Wars, the Korean 
Conflict, the jungles of Vietnam, and the sands of Desert Storm. But 
many who served did not come home.
  They came from every walk of life. They were our friends, neighbors, 
mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers. They were 
ordinary and extraordinary all at once, and all Americans should honor 
their sacrifices. Freedom is not free. But freedom is worth fighting 
for. On Veterans Day, and every day, let us salute Lt. Commander 
Cranford and all our nation's veterans. May God Bless America, now and 
forever.

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