[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21812]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago tomorrow morning 
over 3,000 of our fellow citizens lost their lives in a series of 
terrorist attacks. I lost 383 friends and neighbors on Long Island 
alone. When I think about tomorrow morning, we in Congress are here; we 
in Congress are going about our business. But I remember looking out of 
my window and seeing the smoke coming from the Pentagon, and I remember 
looking up and watching TV and seeing the plane going into the Twin 
Towers. And within a few moments watching another plane hit the Towers, 
as all of us realized we were under attack.
  I will think of the families that have lost their loved ones tomorrow 
morning, and I will think of our firemen and our police officers and 
all our people that ran into the buildings to try to save those that 
they could. I will think about my nurses that stood by in the hospitals 
ready for the survivors.
  There are many people that will say to these victims to get on with 
their lives, to move forward. I would say to those people that they 
have gotten on with their lives; they have moved forward, but the pain 
is still there. And I say to the victims that I know it has been a 
tough 2 years, but you have survived. I know they have been there for 
their families and their children and the mothers and the fathers that 
have lost their children.
  I hope the American people will really remember what September 11 
was, because we as Americans came together. We as Americans opened our 
hearts and our pocketbooks. New Yorkers were there for everybody, the 
rest of the country, and this Congress was there for us.
  The heroism that went on that day was unbelievable, but that is what 
we as Americans do. A lot of times we forget, because our lives are so 
busy; and yet when a tragedy hits this country, we have all come 
together. I ask my fellow Americans to remember the tragedy of 2 years 
ago tomorrow morning, and I ask them to remember by doing an act of 
kindness. I ask my friends on Long Island to reach out to those 
families, because they are going to need it.
  I will be very honest with you, their first anniversary they are 
still in shock. And a lot of times the second and third and fourth 
anniversary is when the pain hits the hardest, and I talk from 
experience. But I will say to all those that were affected that your 
life will go on, as hard as it is, and you will learn to smile again 
and laugh again. Because we have this sense of survival in us. But I 
also know we survive because of all the people around us that are there 
for us.
  We also found out that there are people out there that do not like us 
and do want to attack us. But we as Americans will fight back. They can 
try and take down a building but they cannot take away who we are. We 
are Americans. I will ask everyone watching to light a candle tomorrow 
and to remember all those that have died and those that are continuing 
to die for our freedom.

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