Date: 2002-09-11
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. September 11th will always remain a day of great grief and sadness. courage and hope. The sight of the destruction and evil filled us with disbelief. sadness. helplessness and anger. That day and every day since we have also been blessed to see the best of America. Throughout the last 12 months. we have seen the greatest of our national character in countless acts of sacrifice. courage and love. Police. firefighters and port authority officers rushed into the building with more concern for finding victims than for their own safety. Two office workers. finding a disabled stranger. carried her down 68 floors to safety. Rescuers worked past exhaustion to save lives after the collapse. The men and women of our Armed Forces. Federal Law Enforcement and Intelligence Community are now prosecuting the war on terrorism abroad. The men and women on Flight 93. having spoken with loved ones on their cell phones and being told of the unfolding events. stormed the hijackers and took the plane down. saving thousands of lives on the ground. These acts showed the world what we have long knownthat our fellow Americans are courageous. compassionate and brave. That the true strength of our Nation is in the souls of each of us. and that is something our enemies can never take from us and never defeat. Our Nation still grieves through our national tragedy and personal loss. To the children and parents and spouses and families and friends of the lost. we offer our deepest sympathy. our tears. our support and our love. None of us will ever forget the events of September 11th. but we will continue our lives together. arminarm. with a collective strength that can carry us all. Not only is our military winning the war on the ground. we are also winning the war in the hearts and minds of individuals across the world. The world is beginning to see exactly who America is and who are enemies are. Never has the difference been so clear. They wish to kill and destroy. we seek to assist and build. They work for division. we seek unity. They pray for and plot our failure. we hope and work for a better life for all. In one years time. we have comforted those who lost loved ones. we have completed our cleanup at Ground Zero. rebuilt the Pentagon. rallied the civilized world against terrorism. renewed our friendship with our Muslim friends and Arab partners. destroyed terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. rid the world of thousands of terrorists. put others on the run who will soon understand there are no limits to American justice. and freed a people from an oppressive regime. restoring hope and opportunity. Were working with the new Afghan government to lay the foundation for longterm stability and to reverse the conditions that allowed terrorist regimes to take root in the first place. This Congress has taken necessary actions to strengthen our homeland. assist the family and friends who lost loved ones. and worked to stem the economic downturn that resulted. There has been much good that has come out of that tragic day that shook us to our core. but strengthen our resolve and determination to rid the world of evil. And we still have much work to do. We did not ask for this mission. but we will fulfill it to ensure that freedom endures. We are now engaged in a struggle that we cannot and will not lose. We have come to a unique moment in history. and America must take its rightful place. leading the charge for the right of men and the responsibility of government. Throughout our storied history. America has reaffirmed its commitment to freedom. Today. we find ourselves at the dawn of a new birth of freedom. not only for our Nation. but indeed for all of mankind. We have been given this enormous task. and we will undertake it as only America knows howhead onand we will succeed. We will capture this opportunity for all of mankind and all time. We will continue to lead this Nation and world that we love. confident that the same God that watched over George Washington as he led our revolutionary army. over our founding fathers as they established our system of government. over Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. and over our Armed Forces as they stormed the beaches at Normandy. is still watching over us today as we go forth to make the world safe for freedom and democracy. America was targeted by our enemies because we are the beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. That light still shines brightly today. Peace and freedom will prevail. Hatred and evil are ephemeral. but love and goodness have no end. The greatest people in the history of mankind have been called to defend a great nation and the greatest of ideas. and we will continue to succeed. As we pause to mark the first anniversary of one of the worst days in our Nations history. we not only remember and pray for the loved and the lost. we also renew our commitment to honoring their memory by pursuing peace and justice. by upholding freedom and democracy. and by defending all that is good and just in the world.