[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13935]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN MEMORY OF THOSE LOST ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in memory of 
those lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
  It is hard to believe that so many years have passed since the tragic 
events of 9/11, since the sadness and loss are so fresh for many 
throughout this Nation.
  The attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and my home 
State of Pennsylvania stand as the most cowardly and senseless acts of 
terrorism ever perpetrated against the United States and its citizens.
  My family and I continue to solemnly offer our thoughts and prayers 
for those who were impacted that day. We also salute those who came to 
aid, those who rushed into the World Trade Center before the towers 
fell, the first responders at the Pentagon, and the passengers who made 
the ultimate sacrifice, downing United Flight 93 in Somerset County 
before it could reach its intended destination.
  Among those who lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade 
Center in New York City was Mary Ellen Tiesi. Mary Ellen was a native 
of Irvona, Clearfield County, and was working in the South Tower on 
that morning 14 years ago.
  Family members have said that, after the attack, Mary Ellen was 
exiting the stairs of the tower with a friend.
  She stopped to wait for her boss, who she knew had a heart condition. 
Her boss eventually took the elevator, but Mary Ellen continued down 
the stairs.
  She did not make it out of the building and was the only Clearfield 
County native to lose her life in the attacks in New York. Three years 
ago the Pennsylvania Route 53 bridge in Irvona was renamed in her 
memory.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the kindness Mary Ellen Tiesi showed 
for her coworker on one of the worst days our Nation has ever known. 
Let us never forget the thousands like Mary Ellen who truly embody the 
undying resolve of the American people.

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