[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF OFFICIAL RECOGNITION FOR THE HEROES OF UNITED 
                           AIRLINES FLIGHT 93

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MAC COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 9, 2002

  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I call to your attention a letter I 
received from David and Gretchen Nagy and Donald Evans, Jr., of Burke, 
Virginia. The letter, addressed to President George W. Bush, urges our 
government to officially recognize the heroic men and women of United 
Airlines Flight 93 for their actions on the morning of September 11, 
2001. These ordinary people aboard Flight 93 were thrown into an 
extraordinary and tragic situation. When their plane as highjacked by 
al-Qaeda terrorists, these brave souls made a choice to fight back 
against terror. The citizens on Flight 93 became soldiers, and in so 
doing denied the terrorists of their chosen target, perhaps saving our 
cherished Capitol from the same fate as the World Trade Center. Mr. 
Speaker, in support of this letter, I submit it for the Record. It 
reads as follows:

     President George W. Bush,
     The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We write as ordinary citizens to ask 
     that you lead our nation in bestowing some measure of 
     official honor upon a tiny band of extraordinary citizens--
     the ones who stood up and charged the hijackers of UAL Flight 
     93 over Pennsylvania on 9/11.
       There seems little doubt that these heroes spared America 
     another devastating blow with their magnificent stand, 
     possibly even a blow to the Capitol or the White House 
     itself. Thanks to you and others, everyone now knows their 
     rallying cry, ``Let's roll!'' Surely, everyone with a heart 
     shivered when they heard it, and the story behind it.
       And now, Mr. President, how many even remember their names?
       According to press reports, they were Todd Beamer, Jeremy 
     Glick, Mark Bingham and Lou Nacke--ordinary yet rare men with 
     the guts to act when most would be paralyzed by fear. Perhaps 
     investigators have identified others who joined their 
     uprising. If so, they remain anonymous and unacknowledged. 
     All the sadder.
       In a sense, sir, weren't these men the first combat 
     casualties in our new war against terrorism? The first to go 
     hand-to-hand--and unarmed--against our attackers? They knew 
     they were doomed. (``I'm not going to get out of this,'' 
     Beamer told a cellphone operator.) They could have curled up 
     and gone passively. But they also knew they could thwart evil 
     and spare many on the ground if they went down fighting.
       We respectfully suggest, Mr. President, that valor of this 
     sort is in the grandest traditions of American heroism--
     something very special, on the order of that which gains our 
     military heroes the Medal of Honor. Yet if anyone has 
     proposed that this Nation extend these men some tangible form 
     of gratitude, something solid their loved ones could touch 
     and treasure, we haven't heard of it. So we are asking you, 
     sir, to consider bestowing such an honor at a fitting, proper 
     ceremony. Perhaps the Presidential Medal of Freedom would be 
     appropriate, perhaps some other award for ultimate service 
     and valor.
       We still hope we are merely adding our letter to a growing 
     stack.
       God bless you, Mr. President.
     David and Gretchen Nagy,
     Donald C. Evans, Jr.

     

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