[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 21810-21811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, along with many of my colleagues in the 
New York delegation, tonight we remember September 11. Nearly 2 years 
after September 11 the shock, pain and trauma on that day lingers with 
my constituents in New York. While we resiliently cleaned up the site 
ahead of schedule and have begun to rebuild, no New Yorker can walk 
past a fire house or police precinct or gaze at downtown New York 
without an empty feeling in the pit of their stomach.
  In my own District, 25 different fire stations lost people in the 
terror attacks, and more than 500 of my innocent neighbors who did what 
most Americans do every day, simply woke up and went to work, lost 
their lives in this terrible attack.
  The hijackers chose two of the most prominent symbols of American 
prosperity, enterprise and strength. By taking down the symbols of 
America, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, they hoped to show the 
weakness of American resolve. Instead, the opposite happened. America 
showed that in times of adversity ordinary people become heroes.
  New York is the most diverse city in the world, but on that day, and 
I would say every day in our rebuilding effort, we were united as one.
  Tomorrow, along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. King), we will 
be presenting on this floor and hopefully passing the True American 
Heroes Act, which will award the Congressional Gold Medal to the brave 
rescuers who perished helping others after the attack, the police, the 
firefighters, the emergency medical. Our bill lets us honor the men and 
women who died so that others could live.
  We must also remember that the World Trade Center disaster was one of 
the greatest rescue efforts of all time. Because of the heroic efforts 
of the rescue workers, the final death toll was less than 3,000. This 
is truly remarkable when we consider that more than 20,000 people may 
have been in the

[[Page 21811]]

buildings when the planes hit, not to mention the 10s of thousands in 
adjacent buildings, subways and streets.
  9/11 not only united New Yorkers, it united the Nation. Americans 
recognized that the attack on the World Trade Center was not an 
isolated event, experienced in Washington or Philadelphia, and 
Pennsylvania, or in New York. This was an attack on all of America, and 
Americans were unified in their response.
  All over the country people joined together to send food, clothing, 
blood and prayers. To this day, everywhere one goes in the city of New 
York, in hospitals, fire stations, police stations, even stores there 
are messages of support and hope sent from around the country to help 
New Yorkers through this terrible period.
  New Yorkers are standing with me tonight as I thank my colleagues in 
this Congress on their behalf. Within days of the tragedy, Congress 
appropriated $40 billion for disaster relief and increased security. We 
truly and deeply appreciate the swift show of support.
  It is ironic that an event that generated much love and support was 
based on an act of unexplainable hatred, expressed in violence. Our 
country united in spirit to combat terrorism and those who support 
terrorist activities, but it was New Yorkers who bore the brunt of the 
attack.
  I urge my colleagues to join me tonight in honoring the 
resourcefulness of the residents of the greatest city in the world. New 
Yorkers should be proud of the way they handled the most devastating 
attack on American soil. They showed strength of character and 
generosity of spirit.
  9/11 has left its devastating imprint on my city, and we will always 
remember the horror of that day, but the recovery process is underway. 
We will rebuild Manhattan in a way that honors the fallen and 
celebrates the living and all Americans will celebrate the spirit of 
renewal that New York embodies.

                          ____________________