[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15533-15534]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

  Ms. SNOWE. Madam President, I rise today with the heaviest of hearts 
to observe the ninth anniversary of the terrible tragedy that befell 
our country on September 11, 2001, and changed America--and Americans--
forever. We remember those whom we lost that terrible day, but also 
celebrate the freedoms we cherish and which make our nation the 
greatest in the world.
  On this September 11, as on all that have preceded it, we mourned the 
loss of those eight individuals from Maine who were taken from us all 
too soon--Anna Allison, Carol Flyzik, Robert Jalbert, Jacqueline 
Norton, Robert Norton, James Roux, Robert Schlegel, and Stephen Ward. 
We remember the heroic acts of valor that will always distinguish the 
thousands of men and women who went to work that day, or boarded a 
plane, or rushed to the aid of strangers whose lives they believed were 
as vital as their own. Indeed, if 9/11 was a snapshot of horror, it 
also became a portrait of consummate humanity. If it laid bare the 
unimaginable cruelties of which humankind is capable, it also imbued 
forever within our minds the heights to which the human spirit can 
rise--even and especially in the face of mortality.
  And nowhere was that more evident than with the first responders who, 
in the face of unspeakable adversity and peril, heroically ran toward 
the very dangers others were desperately trying to escape, placing 
their lives in harm's way in the most courageous and valiant of 
endeavors to save others without regard for their own safety. Their 
service and sacrifice are also a vivid reminder of the exceptional men 
and women who have donned our country's uniform to safeguard and defend 
our Nation. Whether on our shores or soil here at home or around the 
globe, their steadfast sense of duty and love of country are an 
inspiration to us all, their commitment fortifies our determination, 
and their professionalism steadies our hands in an uncertain world.
  I will always remember here in Maine, firefighters from throughout 
the State rushed to aid in the rescue and recovery efforts, the 
Portland Symphony Orchestra gave an inspiring ``Concert of Remembrance 
and Healing,'' dedicated to those with close ties to Maine who lost 
their lives, and the 554 employees of a pulp and paper mill in 
Baileyville who donated more than $6,000 to help people whom the 
workers had never met, in places many of them

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had never visited. One employee contributed his entire $600 tax-relief 
refund to the cause, saying it was the least he could do to help. That 
is the America our enemies could never understand--and never will.
  How clear it is then that, out of the rubble rose our resolve, out of 
despair grew our determination, and out of the hate that was 
perpetrated upon us proudly stood our humanity. It was an unmistakable 
message to the world that we would never be deterred--that our freedoms 
could never be crushed by the blunt and tortuous instruments of terror 
that are no match against a resilient people certain in the knowledge 
that good ultimately triumphs over evil.

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