Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on September 11, 2001.

I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding and congratulate Congressman Ackerman on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support today on the anniversary of 9/11, 2001, and to pay tribute to the over 3,000 Americans who lost their lives in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.

Let me remember that day through the life of one man, a retired air traffic controller, Mr. John Werth, a constituent who was on duty that day at the Major Air Control Center located in Oberlin, Ohio, in our Ninth Congressional District of Ohio. His professionalism and attention to duty that terrible day saved hundreds, literally thousands of lives, though in the end he was not able to prevent the crash of United flight 93, which went down over Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and in which 40 of the lives lost that day remain forever in our memory.

In today's issue of USA Today, which I shall include in the Record, Mr. Werth's photo and story appear on the front page. It is appropriate that after all these years some of the heroic stories of that day become more fully available to the public. Mr. Werth's clearheaded efforts, under great pressure and amid great national confusion, diverted aircraft away from the highjacked plane, saving lives. As professional air traffic controllers in the employ of the Government of the United States, he and his colleagues worked hand in hand with our military to do the best they could under the most trying of circumstances. His three decades of experience served America well and cannot be overstated. He, and I know his colleagues across our Nation, acted with courage and dispatch. And we all respect them deeply. They carry with them in their memories of that day the transmissions from those cockpits. There is no question he and his colleagues literally saved thousands of lives by safely landing thousands of flights across this country. They avoided midair collisions and, for their grace under pressure, deserve every recognition and medal of honor the American people can bestow. They hold our admiration, they hold our gratitude, and they hold our respect for their patriotism and attention to duty. We are forever indebted to them.

I thank the gentleman very much.

On behalf of the American people and certainly the citizens of Ohio who remain extremely proud of John Werth and his colleagues and his air controller associates across our country, please let the record show we extend our abiding thanks on this historic day. We extend our deep remembrances to the families and communities still affected. And we ask God to bless America and help us lead the world to a more peaceful day.

[From USA Today, Sept. 11, 2008]

7 Years Later, the Terror Is Still Vivid

(By Alan Levin)

Oberlin, Ohio--He spent most of his life controlling

airplanes. But on this day seven years ago, United Flight 93

was beyond control.

Cleveland Center air-traffic controller John Werth had

never heard anything like it--the sounds of an animalistic

struggle crackling over his radio. He heard screaming,

hollering and two guttural groans coming from the cockpit.

The horror of one of the four 9/11 suicide hijackings was

playing out, Werth tells USA Today in his first public

recounting of the day that forever changed America.

``I lost 40 people that day,'' Werth says of the desperate

efforts he and his colleagues made to communicate with Flight

93 and keep other planes away from it until the jet crashed

in a rural Pennsylvania field.

Today, the story of that flight is well known--in books,

movies and tales of heroism about the passengers who tried to

retake the jet from four al-Qaeda terrorists, and probably

prevented an attack on the White House or U.S. Capitol. For

Werth, it's been a vivid--if largely private--reality. He was

there. He heard it all.

Werth's account provides new details about what happened as

the hijacking unfolded and how the chaos in the skies caused

alarm and confusion for controllers and national security

forces.

For seven years, Werth, 61, hasn't told his story publicly,

initially because he was not allowed to because of a

government subpoena related to the prosecution of al-Qaeda

operative Zacarias Moussaoui, and later because Werth didn't

want the attention. Now, Werth's ready to discuss it and set

the record straight.

It was Werth who heard the transmission from Flight 93 that

suggested a bomb was aboard. The transmission, in a thick

accent and broken English, likely was from hijacker pilot

Ziad Jarrah, the 9/11 Commission determined later.

The bomb was apparently a bluff, a threat the hijackers

used to try to control the passengers.

At the time, Werth says, it created a new level of alarm

among the controllers clearing other planes out of the

wayward path of Flight 93, which had departed from Newark,

N.J., that morning and flown into Ohio before making a U-turn

toward Washington.

What if, Werth wondered, the hijackers had a bomb--maybe

even a nuclear device? How far would Werth have to keep other

jets from a nuclear bomb's shock wave? Twenty miles? Thirty?

Every time Werth turned other planes away from Flight 93,

the hijacked jet seemed to surge toward them, he recalls,

raising questions about what the hijackers were trying to do.

At the time, he knew that some passenger jets were missing

and that one had hit a World Trade Center tower in New York.

``I'm saying, `What is he doing?' '' Werth recalls. `` `Is

this about a midair collision.' '' an attempt to ram another

passenger jet with Flight 93?

All the while, uncertainty gripped the nation--and

Cleveland Center, which oversees a wide swath of the nation's

skies between Chicago and New York.

``Something was really off''

That morning began routinely for Werth as he sat in front

of his radar screen and radio, surrounded by maps and

computers. Soon, the news began trickling down to him.

Two jets were ``lost'' over New York. Someone said a small

plane (actually a jet, it turned out) had hit the World Trade

Center in New York. A supervisor told him to try to contact

American Airlines Flight 77, which had gone missing over

Kentucky.

``That's when I knew something was really off,'' he says.

He was also told to keep an eye on Delta Air Lines Flight

1989, which had taken off from Boston. Amid the confusion,

controllers in Boston worried it was connected to the jets

missing in New York. Those jets, American Airlines Flight 11

and United 175, also had departed from Boston.

Finally came word that a second plane, a large jet, had hit

New York's twin towers.

The pilots of Flight 93, headed west to San Francisco from

Newark, arrived at 9:24 a.m. in Werth's control sector, a

roughly 100-by-100-mile patch in the Cleveland area that

handles only high-altitude traffic. The Boeing 757 carried

seven crewmembers and 37 passengers, including the four

hijackers. Within four minutes of arriving in Werth's sector,

according to the 9/11 Commission Report and other government

documents, the hijackers had launched a violent takeover of

the jet.

During the struggle, one of the pilots tried to make a

distress call or inadvertently switched on the radio's

microphone, allowing Werth and other planes in the area to

overhear what was happening aboard Flight 93.

Werth says most of the sounds of the struggle were

unintelligible. There were screams and groans. Werth recalls

turning to another controller. ``I looked at him and said,

`Dave, did that sound the same to you as it did to me?' He

just kind of looked at me wide-eyed and nodded.''

He knew another flight was probably under attach, but which

one? ``Somebody call Cleveland?'' he radioed. No one replied.

Thirty-three seconds later came a second broadcast from the

cockpit. It also had the sounds of a struggle, but this time

Werth made out a few words: ``Get out of here. Get out of

here.''

About that time, Flight 93 descended about 700 feet. By

then, Werth was pretty sure the flight had been hijacked.

What were the hijackers up to? Why do they want to be over

Cleveland? Why are they this far west? I thought at first,

well, you've got the Sears Tower (in Chicago) straight

west,'' he says.

There were no procedures or training exercises for such an

emergency, Werth says, so he made it up as he went along. He

asked other crews whether they had heard the scuffle over the

radio. When they replied, he knew they were still OK.

The hijacked jet became erratic. It sped up and started

gaining on another United flight. Werth commanded the second

jet to turn right. Seconds later, Fight 93 turned to the

right, too.

Minutes later, as Flight 93 climbed from 35,000 to 41,000

feet, Werth told Delta Fight 1989 to turn right to clear it

away from the hijacked jet. Then Flight 93 made a 180-degree

turn back toward the east, forcing Werth to move the Delta

flight back out of the way. ``Delta 89, we're gonna go the

other way,'' he radioed.

As Flight 93 passed over Akron, headed by that time in the

direction of Washington, Werth heard a supervisor call out

that a jet had just struck the Pentagon.

``It's the Delta!''

Before United 93 had even checked in with Werth, a

supervisor had asked him to watch Delta 1989, a westbound

flight from Boston to Los Angeles. It was 60 miles east of

his sector, flying behind the United jet.

Werth has never been sure who called the facility to warn

about the flight or why, and other accounts have been murky.

The flight was a Boeing 767 like two other hijacked flights

out of Boston. It would have been logical to suspect that it,

too, might have been a target.

As Werth struggled to keep other jets away from United 93,

he had to turn the Delta flight several times. The pilots

responded normally. He couldn't be sure of anything that day,

but it seemed a safe bet that the Delta flight hadn't been

hijacked.

However, someone in the military seemed to have mixed up

the Delta flight with the hijacked jet. A supervisor rushed

up to Werth and said, ``It's the Delta, it's the Delta!''

Werth recalls. She told him that a military liaison on the

phone had confirmed that the Delta jet was hijacked.

Werth told her he was pretty sure United 93 had been

hijacked, not the Delta one. A few moments later, she came

back.

``He's fine--at least for now,'' Werth told her.

After consulting again on the phone, she returned again.

``They said it's a confirmed hijack and a bomb threat,'' she

told him. It was United 93 that had made the bomb threats,

Werth thought. That convinced him they had to be confusing

the two flights.

``Tell them they're full of it!'' Werth says he replied.

``I thought, `God, don't (have military jets that were being

scrambled) go after the wrong plane.' ''

At 9:44 a.m., the Delta pilots requested a change of course

from Werth. The same concerns about their safety had been

passed on to the company, and dispatchers had ordered it to

land as soon as possible in Cleveland.

As it turned out, the military was in no position to shoot

down Delta 1989, but Werth didn't know that. He followed the

flight on radar until it landed safely.

Fight 93 didn't make another radio transmission after 9:39

a.m.Werth watched on radar as the jet crashed near

Shanksville, Pa., at 10:03.

A bond with Flight 93

Werth retired in 2003 without ever having made an air-

traffic error during his 32-year tenure, according to the

Federal Aviation Administration, a remarkable record in an

era when computers automatically track when planes get too

close together.

He says he has focused his life on his wife, Mary Kay, and

his passion, golf. He says he has watched with occasional

outrage as he has been portrayed in movies and books about 9/

11 by people who had never spoken to him.

Today, he will attend a memorial service in Shanksville for

the crew and passengers of Flight 93.He's not sentimental or

emotional about that day, but he feels a bond with the

victims.

``It's hard, when you're a controller, to lose an

aircraft,'' he says. ``When there is absolutely nothing you

can do and you're not in control, it's doubly hard.''

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield to the majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this resolution pays homage to the lives lost on the 11th of September in 2001 and recognizes this anniversary as a time of solemn commemoration. It extends deepest condolences to the friends, families and loved ones of the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks; it expresses gratitude to the leaders and citizens of other countries who assisted, supported, and stood by the United States in the aftermath of the attacks; and it honors the Nation's first responders, Armed Forces and others whose valiant efforts are a credit to their country and who continue to keep us safe.

Each of us remembers exactly where we were on 9/11 when we heard the tragic news. We remember the days of unity that followed when we acted together to protect this country from those determined to harm us and undermine our way of life.

Last year, we took a major step in furtherance of that goal by enacting, with bipartisan support, legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, in both its domestic and foreign policy dimensions. By doing so, we addressed major security vulnerabilities and improved our homeland security across the board. I call on the President to continue his work to fully implement that act.

Al Qaeda remains a serious threat to the United States. In particular, the al Qaeda leadership that was responsible for ordering the attacks on September 11 has been reconstituted in the tribal areas of Pakistan. From that safe haven, they continue to pose danger to the world and increasingly threaten American troops in Afghanistan.

And this is more than just a military campaign. In the battle against extremists, ideas matter as much as ammunition, and this Nation must employ its soft power--its moral, economic, financial, diplomatic and cultural resources--to the very fullest.

The global realities of the 21st century require us to use the full range of nonmilitary tools as a fundamental pillar of our national security. We in Congress must support full funding for our international affairs programs. They bolster our national security by allowing us to work with foreign partners to track down terrorists overseas, to secure dangerous weapons wherever they are found, and to help stabilize fragile states.

Madam Speaker, this country is in the midst of a competitive election campaign. The stakes could not be higher. But today we set aside all of that to remember what unites us is greater than that which divides us. We all love our country and seek to keep it safe in these perilous times.

Madam Speaker, none of us will forget what happened 7 years ago today. We will always remember the victims of 9/11 and the loved ones who survived them. We still have unfinished work. Congress still needs to act, and hopefully soon, to provide the care to the people who rushed to Ground Zero to help others, as well as the thousands who worked on the ``pile'' in the aftermath to rebuild the site.

We owe those heroes of 9/11 the care and compensation they deserve. We will always honor the first responders who lost their lives that day--and those in uniform who risk their lives today and every day to defend America.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize now for 3 minutes the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton).

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member of the Committee on Financial Services, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson).

Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to recognize for 2 minutes a very distinguished Member from Long Island, a member of the Committee on Appropriations (Mr. Israel).

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased now to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairwoman of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, the distinguished Nita Lowey.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the member of the Committee on Appropriations, the distinguished gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, the distinguished gentleman from New York's 19th Congressional District.

I'm pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from West Virginia, chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, representing the Third Congressional District of that State, Chairman Rahall.

Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, a very thoughtful general once observed that the loss of 1,000 lives is a statistic, but the loss of one life was a tragedy. There were thousands of tragedies that occurred 7 years ago today. I want to talk about one of them.

It was a very long week here in Washington, that week of 9/11. It took three or four times the usual time for me to get back to New York. It was late at night. I was able to get a cab in New York to take me down to the World Trade Center, to the pier where they had set up all of the emergency work. I went there at that hour to find my wife, who was a mental health worker, one of those people who were asked to come down and volunteer.

As I waited for her to do the things that she and so many other people were doing, I walked around. There was a long, huge wall with pictures on 8\1/2\ by 11, on napkins, on flyers that were drawn up, people who had pictures of their loved ones, their husbands, their wives, their children, if anybody saw them.

There were firemen walking around trying to console women who did not know yet if they were widows.

There were little dolls alongside the wall on the floor stretching for two blocks along this pier. They all had notes on them. They were from children who suffered the loss of parents in the Murrah Building disaster. And these notes all said things like, ``When I was in trouble and frightened, someone gave me this doll to make me feel better. I send it to you and hope that you feel better.''

A fire chief came over to me and asked me if I would go over and just stand by this gentleman who was all alone at the wall. It was probably midnight. And this fellow in unique garb, he was a Hassidic Jew, dressed in the traditional big brim black hat, looking very much like the Amish do with the long black coat, he stood in front of one flyer without blinking. The only thing he did was move back and forth, back and forth, staring at this picture.

I just stood next to him. And after a minute he spoke to me, without even looking at me, just staring at the picture on this flyer that looked like a younger version of himself, and he said, ``That was my brother.'' He, I was told, was there every night doing this. ``He was my brother. He called me to say good-bye.''

``I told him,'' he said, ``that he had to get out of that building. He had to get out right away.'' And he said to me, ``I'm sitting holding hands with the young man who works in the cubicle next to mine, a young Puerto Rican kid who lives in a wheelchair, and there is no way for him to get out of this building. I told him he would not die alone, and I am just calling to say good-bye.''

There is nothing anyone could say, nothing I could say. I just stood there.

There are thousands of stories, there are thousands of lives, there are tens of thousands of people who were immediately impacted by relatives who died that day, who are heroes as well, some of whom knowingly, some of whom unknowingly went to their deaths, in addition to all of those who rushed into the building to save those that they could.

As we remember the first responders, as we remember the people who dug in that pile for so many days and weeks and months, risking their own lives, putting their health at risk and danger, as we know today, an issue that still has to be addressed, we remember also those who caused all of that anguish and pain, all of those thousands of tragedies, who changed history in that one incident, and rededicate ourselves to not being only strong, but smart, as we confront those threats and honor the memory of all those who were lost and all those who tried to help on that day.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It has been 7 years since the unimaginable happened, unimaginable, but nevertheless all too real.

It is difficult to believe that the months and the years have passed so quickly for some, so slowly for others. But although the passage of time cannot erase the scars, it often shows mercy by soothing the raw wounds of experience and transforming them into memory. And that is our purpose here today, Madam Speaker, to remember, to remember the victims and to remind ourselves of the hatred that fuels the enemies of freedom and their desire to destroy us, to destroy our homeland, to destroy everything that we represent.

Every American and millions around the globe remember that day, remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news and turned on their televisions. They remember the numbing shock and the horror of that day. All wanted to do something to help, and yet there seemed at that time to be so little that could be done to relieve the suffering and the fear.

Thank God that there were men and women in a position to help and who did so at great risk and at great cost to themselves. We honor those individuals for their bravery, none of whom sought fame, many of whom lost their lives so that others might live.

But while it is appropriate that we remember the events of that day, that we mourn those whom we lost and celebrate the many heroes, our attention should not be fixed entirely on the past for the attack on us was not a single blow but the declaration of a war.

We suddenly learned that this war had already been fought against us for many years and in many places, but we had not recognized it for what it was. We had the taking of our embassy and Americans hostages in Iran in 1979, the bombing of our embassy compound and the Marine attacks in Beirut in the early 1980s, the first World Trade Center bombing by Islamic terrorists in 1993, and the attack on the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the USS Cole, and our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, also in the 1990s.

The goal of our self-proclaimed enemies is not to defeat us but to destroy us. For they must destroy us if they are to destroy the civilization we represent which they have defined as their ultimate aim. Their fantasies cannot be made true as long as we exist to stop them.

This is a new type of war, Madam Speaker, which presents unfamiliar challenges, and it will test us in ways for which the methods of the past have only a limited use.

Securing victory will task our mental and material resources and will require innovative approaches and unconventional solutions. But our courage, our steadfastness, our determination will be as greatly challenged.

In the 7 years since we were attacked, we have come to know our enemies, we have come to know their plans and their methods of operation.

As we see them more clearly, we are increasingly able to uncover their networks and locate their hiding places. But we should not expect an easy success. Our enemies have many allies and have sunk deep roots that will not easily be torn out.

Even as I speak, our warriors are fighting for us and for our country far away from their homes. I am proud that my stepson and my daughter- in-law are two of those warriors who served in Iraq and Lindsey in Afghanistan as well.

We pray for the success of all of our personnel in harm's way, knowing that victory will not be achieved in one decisive battle but in many small ones and fought in many ways and in many places around the globe.

Let us remember this as we prepare our defenses and make our plans to seek out and destroy those who would destroy us.

We must not deceive ourselves with the hope that this threat will just go away, that our enemies will tire of the battle, that they will experience a change of heart, and that they will renounce the evil that they have committed, and instead, we know that they will eagerly plan to do so again.

We must remember that we cannot hide, that we must not fall prey to the easy belief that there are easy solutions because, in fact, there are none.

But there is no room for despair, Madam Speaker. For more than two centuries, our country has risen to meet the challenges that at the time seemed impossible, when the odds against us seemed to be too great, and the path to victory seemed difficult to see. But we have always prevailed.

So on this day of remembrance, Madam Speaker, let us reflect upon all those whom we have lost, on all those who guard us still today, and on the task remaining for all of us, and pledge to do our duty as have all the generations that have preceded us.

God bless the United States of America, now and always.

With that, Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia, the ranking member on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Mr. Davis, who lost many friends and constituents at the Pentagon on that fateful day 7 years ago.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health of our Foreign Affairs Committee, who knows the personal suffering of 9/11 as he represents family members of the victims and lost over 50 fellow citizens from his congressional district when the World Trade Center towers were hit.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), the ranking member of the Oversight Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, as well as a member of the Intelligence Subcommittee on the Homeland Security Committee. He also has experienced the dramatic impact of the 9/11 attacks as he lost so many constituents and continues to this day to comfort and assist the over 80 families impacted by that attack.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen),

ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, because over 700 people from New Jersey lost their lives on this day 7 years ago.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend debate time by an additional 20 minutes, equally divided.

Madam Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Fossella), a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett), an esteemed member of our Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), a member of the Judiciary Committee.

I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and the ranking member of its Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).

I'm pleased to yield the gentleman such additional time as he may consume.

Madam Speaker, we have no further requests for time. I yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1420, a resolution recognizing September 11 as a day of remembrance, extending sympathies to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and their families, honoring the heroic actions of our Nation's first responders and armed forces, and reaffirming the commitment to the defense of the people of the United States against any and all future challenges.

I support this resolution because although seven years have passed since that fateful day, the pain, agony, and sense of loss still endures in the hearts and minds of the American people. As we reflect on the tragic events of 9/11, we can never forget the courage and heroism of the men and women who selflessly reacted to help those that were incapacitated and remember the nearly 3,000 innocent lives that were sacrificed without warning.

This tragedy has left an indelible scar on the Nation's history and has awakened a newfound sense of patriotism and nationalism. This day of remembrance is important and necessary because it reminds us that we must continue to support those that fight abroad to keep our homeland safe.

America must now look forward and do all that it can to ensure the integrity of freedom upon which this country has been founded. We must learn from the aftermath of this catastrophe to respond and react to such disastrous events without inhibiting the civil liberties and freedom of the very people we serve.

Madam Speaker, on September 11, 2001, the Nation watched in horror as the unthinkable occurred. On that faithful day, a ruthless attack had been orchestrated, transforming the WorId Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon into human infernos that claimed thousands of innocent lives. The tragic events of 9/11 were examples of despicable acts of faceless cowards who have no regard for human life.

Across the United States and around the world, people of all ages and walks of life collectively united during a time of tremendous sorrow and despair. It was an unforgettable day that transformed the lives of many and united Americans in a way this Nation had not seen since WorId War II.

As I stand here today, my heart remains torn from the gruesome events of that day as I can only imagine what the passengers on flights United Airlines 93, American Airlines 77, American Airlines 11, and United Airlines 175 were thinking of when they found out that they had only moments to live. I must commend the brave souls that did everything to help prevent more lives from being lost. The actions taken by the passengers of flight 93, firefighters, policemen, and first responders can never be forgotten and their service is worthy of great recognition.

I stand here today simply to offer my deepest condolences to the families of the fallen victims and the servicemen and women who sacrificed their own lives to save others. On behalf the 18th Congressional District of Texas, I express my sorrow for the tragic losses in New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. However, we must also not forget the good that has come about in the midst of a country that harbored many differences.

After the tragic events of 9/11, there was a realization that in those moments of humanity, Americans were able to unite and share the same sense of sorrow and empathy. The people of the United States came together and strengthened its resolve to defend and protect the basic fundamentals of the country. This is what makes our country so great. As the late Dr. Martin Luther King has said, ``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'' I must also bring to light the overwhelming support of our global community in this time of tragedy.

As we reflect back upon this unfortunate event, we need to also consider the measures we have taken to make America safer. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my duty to bring to the attention of the American people many homeland security initiatives that we have undertaken that have not been successful.

Osama bin Laden has eluded our forces for nearly eight years and the nation's infrastructures and borders are still vulnerable to attacks. Immigration has been an important concern that has resulted from these attacks and the terrorist watch list that the Transportation Security Administration has implemented is apparently inefficient.

Madam Speaker, there are many issues that still need to be addressed in order to secure our nation. It is my sincere hope that we as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike will come together to expeditiously resolve these issues and help place the path of this great nation onto a noble path. I have great faith and confidence that we will be able to achieve this soon one day and our differences will be accommodated.

As we move forward, 9/11 is a day that will remain in remembrance. We have understood the meaning of sacrifice through the country's history of rebuilding and positive reform. The United States is the forefront of innovation and has the ability to reflect and learn from past mistakes. I pray for the lives lost on 9/11 and also for the protection of innocent lives from senseless conflicts and war.

I urge all members to join me in supporting H. Res. 1420. This tragic moment can never be forgotten and we need to do all we can in our power to prevent such a travesty from occurring again. We must remember September 11, 2001 to propel this nation and its policies to prevent and prepare itself from future disasters.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my House colleagues in support of this resolution recognizing September 11 as a day of remembrance; extending sympathies to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and their families; honoring the heroic actions of our Nation's first responders and armed forces, and reaffirming the commitment to defending the people of the United States against any and all future challenges.

We all will always remember where we were on that fateful morning of September 11, 2001, a beautiful, sunny and clear early autumn day in the Nation's capital when terrorists launched their attacks on America. It is etched forever in our memories.

We will never forget--those who died; those who survived and live with the scars; the firemen who ran up the stairs of the World Trade Center to save lives and gave theirs; the heroes on the plane in Pennsylvania; the families left behind whose lives will always have a void; the neighbors, the friends, the countless strangers who performed selfless acts of kindness we will never even know about.

On this solemn anniversary I always think back to the sermon the pastor of my church gave the Sunday after September 11 when he said: ``Life is fragile. Evil is real. God is sure.''

Life is fragile. It can end in an instant. The families of those who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania never thought that would be their last day to see their loved ones.

A woman in New York said, ``We parted with a kiss on the Union Square Subway platform at around half past eight that morning. Jason was heading to his new job at Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center; I was heading to my office in SoHo. He must have made it to his desk moments before the plane struck the building.''

Evil is real. We saw on September 11 that evil men did evil deeds to innocent people. Thirty people from Virginia's 10th congressional district died on 9/11. I went to the Pentagon that day and saw with my own eyes the destruction. I returned to the Pentagon this morning to join the dedication of the beautiful and moving memorial to hose who died there seven years ago.

I went to Ground Zero in New York City two months after 9/11 and saw the devastation. I saw the notes written on the wooden railing of the viewing platform from family members. One said, ``I love you Daddy'' in a childish scrawl. Another said, ``We miss you Dad. When you look down we hope we will always make you proud.''

Evil is real, but God is sure. Psalm 46 says:

``God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.''

Our lives changed on September 11, and in many ways are still changing and will continue to change. Clearly, we are much more aware of the threat we now face.

We had heroes on 9/11--those who lost their lives and those who tried to save them--and we continue to have heroes today. They are the brave men and women who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq showing the terrorists that we will take the fight to them. They are the thousands of civilian employees at numerous Federal agencies supporting those efforts.

Some of those heroes, like those on 9/11, have given their lives to protect our way of life. To them and to their families, we will be forever grateful.

I am reminded of a quote from President Ronald Reagan, who was such an optimist. He believed in America and for what she stands. He once said in describing America, ``We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we can always be free.''

Indeed, we will always remember. And we will always be grateful that we live in the United States of America where, it has been said, unlike almost any other nation on earth, our identity is rooted not in blood, religion or birthplace, but in the idea of freedom.

Freedom has never been with a price. We owe our lives to each and everyone who has paid that ultimate price so that we can continue to live in freedom. And so today, we remember 9/11 and those souls who perished, and we also honor those who responded to the horrific events of that day, and resolve to continue the fight against terrorism and those who would seek to destroy freedom.