[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20108-20110]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING AND MEMORIALIZING THE PASSENGERS AND CREW OF UNITED AIRLINES 
                               FLIGHT 93

  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in 
the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 26) honoring and 
memorializing the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 26

       Whereas on September 11, 2001, acts of war involving the 
     hijacking of commercial airplanes were committed against the 
     United States, killing and injuring thousands of innocent 
     people;
       Whereas 1 of the hijacked planes, United Airlines Flight 
     93, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania;
       Whereas while Flight 93 was still in the air, the 
     passengers and crew, through cellular phone conversations 
     with loved ones on the ground, learned that other hijacked 
     airplanes had been used to attack the United States;
       Whereas during those phone conversations, several of the 
     passengers indicated that there was an agreement among the 
     passengers and crew to try to overpower the hijackers who had 
     taken over Flight 93;
       Whereas Congress established the National Commission on 
     Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (commonly referred 
     to as ``the 9-11 Commission'') to study the September 11, 
     2001, attacks and how they occurred;
       Whereas the 9-11 Commission concluded that ``the nation 
     owes a debt to the passengers of Flight 93. Their actions 
     saved the lives of countless others, and may have saved 
     either the U.S. Capitol or the White House from 
     destruction.''; and
       Whereas the crash of Flight 93 resulted in the death of 
     everyone on board: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That
       (1) the United States owes the passengers and crew of 
     United Airlines Flight 93 deep respect and gratitude for 
     their decisive actions and efforts of bravery;
       (2) the United States extends its condolences to the 
     families and friends of the passengers and crew of Flight 93;
       (3) not later than October 1, 2006, the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of 
     Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the 
     minority leader of the Senate, the Chairman and the Ranking 
     Member of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the 
     Senate, and the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives shall select an appropriate memorial that 
     shall be located in the United States Capitol and that shall 
     honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93, who saved the 
     United States Capitol from destruction; and
       (4) the memorial shall state the purpose of the honor and 
     the names of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 on whom the 
     honor is bestowed.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on S. Con. Res. 26.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  On Sunday, we remembered one of the most tragic days in our Nation's 
history, a day in which we lost 3,000 of our relatives, neighbors, 
friends and countrymen. These people were lost because of the actions 
of 19 terrorists who sought to inflict pain on our country and bring us 
to our knees. They did not.
  Four of these terrorist found out firsthand that America and 
Americans are not to be taken lightly and that we are people of action.
  Though the story of Flight 93 is well known by all, it is a story 
that bears repeating.
  On that fateful day, the 40 passengers and crew of a hijacked 
airplane, made aware through phone calls of the fate of the three other 
hijacked airplanes, took action to protect lives on the ground.
  They acted in a way that I am confident the passengers and crew of 
the three other planes hijacked that day would surely have acted had 
they been aware of what was happening. The passengers and crew of 
Flight 93 acted in a way that should make us all proud. They knew the 
risks they were facing, yet acted anyway.
  It is a significant feat what these 40 patriots did, equal to the 
shot heard around the world in Lexington and Concord or the Alamo in 
Texas. The very place that Flight 93 went down, I believe, is 
providence, because it is in proximity to another major event in our 
history.
  It is a reminder to all Americans that freedom is not easy, and the 
event of which I speak of is the Whiskey Rebellion, which occurred in 
1794, just the first year of George Washington's second term, when 
there was a rebellion in Pennsylvania. George Washington rode to 
Pennsylvania, to a town just 10 miles south of Shanksville, 
Pennsylvania, to put down that rebellion and establish or continue to 
establish our democracy.

[[Page 20109]]

  It is important for us in America to remember that it was hard 210 
years ago to establish democracy, and it is hard today. So we all need 
to remember that story of Berlin, Pennsylvania, the Whiskey Rebellion, 
just 10 miles south of Shanksville, where the first counterattack on 
the war on terrorism occurred in the skies over Somerset, Pennsylvania. 
And those passengers of Flight 93 are an example for all Americans to 
live up to today and into the future.
  This resolution authorizes the permanent memorial here in the Capitol 
to the passengers and crew of Flight 93, whose actions certainly saved 
lives on 9/11. Many, including the 9/11 Commission, believe they may 
have saved this very building and many of us who work here.
  It is my expectation that whatever memorial is established will 
complement, not compete with the memorial that will be constructed in 
Shanksville, where Flight 93 eventually crashed.
  I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to bring 
this appropriate recognition of heroism and bravery to this hallowed 
building. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I join other Members in strong support of this 
resolution and acknowledge the special bond that exists between the 
passengers from Flight 93 and not only the personnel who work in the 
Capitol but also the citizens of the District, those who were harmed 
and who died at the Pentagon and, of course, those who were victims in 
New York at the Twin Towers.
  Although we will never know the final destination for Flight 93, we 
are all profoundly grateful to those heroic passengers for their 
collective acts of courage that may have saved the Capitol or the White 
House from severe damage.
  Senate Concurrent Resolution 26 memorializes them and their valiant 
efforts as well. A site will be selected here in the Capitol. The 
purpose of the memorial as well as the names of the crew and passengers 
will, of course, be inscribed on the memorial.
  We strongly support the resolution and urge its passage.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewomen from 
Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite.)
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in 
support of this concurrent resolution to honor the brave men and women 
of Flight 93.
  As all Americans learned from the transcripts of the 9/11 Commission, 
a brave group of individuals took their own futures and potentially the 
lives of thousands who work in D.C. and charged the cockpit door of 
Flight 93.
  While their heroic deeds thwarted the plans of the 9/11 hijackers to 
crash the airplane into the Capitol or the White House, it cost them 
their lives when the plane crashed into that remote Pennsylvania field.
  While the resolution that we will pass this afternoon authorizes a 
memorial to Flight 93 victims here in the United States Capitol, it is 
the memories of individual victims that drive us and that we will keep 
in our memories.
  I would like to specifically recognize the contribution of one 
outstanding individual on Flight 93, Mr. Mark Bingham. Described as a 
charming and outgoing man by all who knew him, Mark used his experience 
as a rugby player to help break down that cockpit door. His efforts 
were truly heroic and will not be forgotten.
  Just last week I met with Mark's father, Gerald Bingham, who is my 
constituent from the Fifth Congressional District in Florida.
  Gerald and his family have spent the last 4 years fighting and 
advocating for an appropriate memorial to recognize the sacrifices of 
their son, Mark, as well as the other men and women who gave their 
lives that fateful day.
  I am very proud to stand on the floor of the U.S. House to let Gerald 
and his family know that the sacrifices of his son will forever be 
consecrated in an appropriate manner here in the United States Capitol.
  In closing, I certainly would like to thank Senator Conrad for 
sponsoring this resolution as well as the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Shuster) for bringing this tribute to the floor today.
  Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the resolution.

                              {time}  1430

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), for yielding me time, and I thank 
the sponsor of this bill for introducing it.
  We all rise today to honor the passengers and the crew of United 
Airlines Flight 93. They gave their lives so that others might live, 
and I strongly support S. Con. Res. 26, which commemorates the 
courageous actions of these 40 passengers and crew. The passengers 
thwarted a potentially dangerous attack on a target here in Washington. 
Without their sacrifice, it is possible that many of us would not be 
here today. This building in which we stand perhaps would not be here, 
and almost certainly many innocent civilians would have died.
  Eighteen of those brave men and women on board Flight 93 were from 
New Jersey. One of those brave souls lived in Cranbury, New Jersey. He 
is one of the people on board we recognize. He has become something of 
a symbol.
  Todd Beamer was a respected businessman who stood out in a national 
company. He was a man of deep religious faith. He was involved with his 
family, a loving father who looked forward to the upcoming birth of his 
third child. He was a caring and devoted husband to his wife, Lisa, 
whom I would also like to recognize and honor here today. It was his 
famous phrase, ``Let's roll,'' that helped inspire our Nation to meet 
his high standard of shared sacrifice and to remind Americans in those 
dark days following September 11 that America would not just survive 
but America would thrive.
  This body authorized the naming of the United States Post Office in 
Cran- bury after Todd Beamer. And each time I see the Todd Beamer Post 
Office, I am reminded that individual Americans can and do 
extraordinary things.
  Americans are willing to sacrifice in the name of accomplishing 
something greater than one person. This country has always depended on 
this unique character, and it was always my hope that people would use 
this post office with an understanding of this American characteristic 
and that they would pause to reflect on the sacrifice of the individual 
but also on their roles, what they can do in small and large acts of 
bravery.
  Todd Beamer was not alone. With him were other New Jerseyans and 
Americans who shared his values and commitment to save others. Richard 
Guadagno was another outstanding passenger of Flight 93. Raised in 
Trenton, Richard was the manager of the Humbolt Bay National Wildlife 
Refuge in California, and was on his way back to Eureka, California, 
after visiting his family in New Jersey and attending his grandmother's 
100th birthday party. He too made the sacrifice. I had an opportunity 
to talk with his parents, and I was struck by how remarkable and 
compassionate Richard Guadagno was. Today we honor him and all the 
other passengers and crew members.
  Recalling the legacy of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 reminds 
Americans that we need heroes every day. Lisa and Todd Beamer's 
children can grow up knowing that their father acted bravely at a time 
when others were in need; and he will always be remembered as a hero, 
along with his fellow passengers.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this resolution, and I thank the 
sponsors for introducing it. As it is said in Jewish tradition, whoever 
saves a single life is honored as though he saved an entire world.

[[Page 20110]]

  I honor those on Flight 93 whose brave acts saved the lives of so 
many Americans.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, on September 11, 2001, the passengers and 
crew of this flight saved the Capitol from attack. The Members and 
staff who work in this building owe our very lives to these American 
heroes.
  In September of 2004, I authored the American Heroes Act, co-
sponsored by 16 Republicans and Democrats, which called on a 
commissioning of a statue here in the Capitol for the Flight 93 heroes. 
In my view, the statue should be located at the entrance of the new 
$500 million Capitol Visitor Center to be opened next year.
  If placed there, it would be the first thing American school kids and 
other visitors would see when they enter this temple of democracy. They 
would see modern American heroes who saved this Capitol, who gave their 
lives and whose heroism is encompassed in the personal and recent 
memory of all living Americans.
  As a former member of the legislative branch appropriations 
subcommittee, I worked on many aspects of the visitors center; and as a 
member now of the full committee where legislative branch issues are 
considered, I am working with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) 
and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) to make sure we find the 
funds for this statue for these heroes.
  Working closely with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) of the 
Committee on House Administration, it is my hope by next September 11 
we are on our way to make sure that the first thing visitors see is a 
reminder of the brave Americans who saved this Capitol 4 years ago.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to join today to pass this legislation that will establish a permanent 
memorial here in the Capitol to honor those 40 American patriots who 
undoubtedly saved lives on 9/11 by sacrificing their own lives. As we 
vote today, let us remember the final words of Todd Beamer and that is: 
``Let's roll.''
  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 26, which pays tribute to the heroic efforts of 
the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93. Their decisive 
and brave decision to overtake the September 11 terrorists likely saved 
the lives of countless Congressional Members and staffers, as well as 
the U.S. Capitol or White House from almost certain destruction.
  The San Jose community I represent was especially saddened by the 
loss of Captain Jason Matthew Dahl, the pilot of Flight 93 and a true 
American hero. Jason grew up in San Jose, and his parents, who were the 
proprietors of Dahl's Dairy Delivery, used to deliver milk to Hillsdale 
Elementary School, where I served as principal.
  From his childhood years, Jason had a strong desire to fly. He first 
manifested his affinity for flight during his years at Sylvandale, 
where he started building radio-controlled airplanes. He then joined 
the Civil Air Patrol, and was soon taking flying lessons from Amelia 
Reid at Reid Hillview Airport. He was a quick study, and was flying 
solo by the youthful age of 16. During this early period, Jason gave 
his father a photograph, depicting the two of them standing in front of 
a Cessna, on which Jason had written: ``Maybe someday this will be a 
747.''
  Jason attended my alma mater, San Jose State University, from 1975 to 
1980, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical 
Operations. Jason was soon hired by Ron Nelson Construction as a 
corporate pilot. A few years later, he applied to the commercial 
airlines, and he realized his dream when he got the call from United 
Airlines in June 1985, where he steadily moved up the ranks.
  His passionate devotion to this endeavor was only matched during his 
lifetime by his devotion to his family. Balancing the demands of career 
and family is a daunting challenge, especially for a pilot, but family 
was greatly important to Jason. No matter how busy his flight schedule, 
he always made the time for his wife, Sandy, and his children, Matt and 
Jennifer.
  Captain Dahl was an emblem of the American dream. He was doing what 
he loved to do when he lost his life along with thousands of others in 
the horrible assault on our Nation that occurred on September 11. His 
courage and the courage of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 was 
reflective of the spirit displayed in abundance by so many Americans 
that day.
  It is fitting that we honor those who gave their lives on Flight 93 
through passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 26, which acknowledges 
the great debt we owe them and extends condolences to their family and 
friends. The resolution also establishes a bipartisan, bicameral 
congressional panel to select an appropriate memorial honoring the 
passengers and crew of Flight 93. The memorial--to be placed in the 
Capitol--will be a permanent tribute to the forty selfless individuals 
who overcame fear and mobilized into action to defend their fellow 
Americans.
  I join my colleagues in their strong support for Senate Concurrent 
Resolution 26.
  Mr. MURPHY. Madam Speaker, 4 years after the passengers and crew of 
United Airlines Flight 93 gave their lives to save others, Congress 
recognized their heroic actions by passing legislation calling for a 
permanent memorial in the U.S. Capitol. The presence of mind and 
strength they exhibited on September 11, 2001 averted an even greater 
tragedy in the Pittsburgh region.
  As passengers and crew of Flight 93 called their loved ones and 
quickly learned of their fate, they knew what had to be done. Looking 
out the plane's windows that clear day, they saw our homes, our 
schools, and our communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. Valuing 
human life, something their hijackers did not, they waited to act until 
they were over an empty field, sparing our lives. Their goal of 
averting tragedy in our Nation's capital was realized, but in their 
final moments, they were also thinking of us.
  For their actions that day, families throughout southwestern 
Pennsylvania hold a special place in their hearts for the passengers 
and crew of Flight 93. Prayers of thanks go to them for giving their 
lives to save so many. I encourage every resident of the 18th 
Congressional District visiting Washington, DC to take time to stop by 
the memorial after its completion and honor Flight 93. We have our 
lives, our families, and an enduring example of the human spirit for 
which to thank them.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Capito). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that the House 
suspend the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S. 
Con. Res. 26.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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