    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [October 7, 2001]
    [Pages 1199-1201]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg,
    Maryland
    October 7, 2001

        Thank you very much. Joe, thank you for
    those kind words, and thank you for your outstanding service in a
    difficult time for our great land.
        I want to thank Hal Bruno and the directors of
    the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for the outstanding
    leadership they have shown in recognizing America's heroes.
        I want to say thanks to the members of the Maryland delegation who
    are here, Senator Sarbanes, Senator
    Mikulski, Congressman Hoyer, and Congressman Bartlett. I want to thank you all for being here. I want to thank
    the local officials who are here. I want to thank the firefighters from
    all around America who have come to comfort the families of the fallen.
        I want to say hello to the moms and dads and husbands and wives and
    sons and daughters of the fallen. Laura and I are honored to be here
    with you today as we remember the lives and sacrifices of your brave
    relatives.

    [[Page 1200]]

        Two years ago this weekend, I attended a memorial ceremony in New
    York City honoring fallen firefighters, and standing nearby were Chief
    Peter Ganci and many others who are now gone. None of us on that day
    could have imagined what was to come, the scale of the emergency, the
    enormity of the danger, the magnitude of the evil. Yet, each one of
    those firefighters felt a strong calling and knew its risks.
        On September 11th, that calling led them into burning towers on a
    mission of rescue. Within a single hour, more than 300 firefighters were
    lost. And our Nation still mourns. They did not live to know who had
    caused the destruction or why. They only knew their duty, and that was
    to go in, to follow the faintest cry, to search for the trapped and
    helpless, and to save those who could be saved.
        A few days ago, one New Yorker described firefighters as ``the kinds
    of guys you look up to.'' Every one of you here knew exactly what he
    meant. The courage and loss we saw in New York is found in every
    community that has laid a firefighter to rest. Hardly a week passes in
    America when a career or a volunteer firefighter does not fall in the
    line of duty.
        Firefighting is a hard and demanding job, and it may at any moment
    send a person to the high heat or thick smoke. It's been said that a
    firefighter's first act of bravery is taking the oath to serve. And all
    of them serve knowing that one day they may not come home.
        Today we honor 101 who did not come home. They were all people who
    accepted the dangers of firefighting and were last seen on duty. We add
    their names to this national monument. We do so with pride and with deep
    gratitude.
        The Nation pays respect to them for their service and their
    sacrifice. And we respect you, their families, for your sacrifice, for
    the heavy burden you carry to this day. The McCormicks of Arkansas, the
    Hendricks of Kentucky, the Pescatores of Pennsylvania each lost a son
    who was not yet 20 years old. The families of Bo Rathbun of Wyoming, Jim
    Reavis of Missouri, Fred Brain and Pete Scannell of New York, Kenneth
    Jesse of Pennsylvania lost loved ones who were willing to serve even in
    the latter years of life.
        Many were taken during the fullest days of life, that time when we
    are needed most by the people we love. Kimberly Smith of Texas was
    engaged to be married. Robert Crump of Colorado was home after honorable
    service in the Marine Corps. Marvin Bartholemew of Florida had paid his
    way through college and was working his way up the ranks of the
    department.
        Roger Bookout was 34 years old when he died, and he was a loving
    dad. He had a great outlook, and it was summed up on a sign he kept on
    his locker: ``Love your wife; love your life.'' All these firefighters
    loved life. And Scripture teaches, there is no greater love than to lay
    down one's life for another.
        Sometimes a person cannot know for sure what mark he or she has left
    on the world. That will never be said of the people we remember today or
    of their kind. They were strong and caring people, brave and upright.
    You could always count on them. You could always look up to them.
        This firefighters monument belongs to the Nation and represents a
    national loss. The firefighters belong to you, and I know that loss can
    never be recovered.
        A fireman's widow recently said that her husband was her hero, ``and
    there's nothing I wouldn't do to have my hero here.'' That same feeling
    is shared by many here today, and time won't ever take it away. But the
    years can bring comfort, and they can bring hope. You'll always know
    that your hero died in the service of others. You can give one another
    the strength to go on. You can find the comfort of God, who is with us
    especially in sorrow. And you can know today that your loved ones are
    not forgotten. They hold an honored, cherished place in the memories of
    their comrades and an

    [[Page 1201]]

    honored place in the memory of our country.
        God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:48 a.m. at the memorial on the National
    Emergency Training Center campus. In his remarks, he referred to Joe M.
    Allbaugh, Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency; Hal Bruno,
    chairman, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; and Peter Ganci, Jr.,
    chief, Fire Department-City of New York, who was killed while responding
    to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.