Remebering 9/11

Floor Speech

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today on this most moving and memorable of occasions after we as a nation joined together to mark the solemn 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Throughout my home State of Maine and across this great land, Americans are uniting as one nation indivisible as we pause to remember with the heaviest of hearts the tragedy that befell our nation 10 years ago--a morning that changed America--and Americans--forever.

We are all a different people in America--no matter our faith or ancestry--as a result of the horrific events onÐ9/11 that are ingrained upon the landscape of our consciousness for all time. We all know where we were and what we were doing at the precise time they happened. As many of us remember the assassination of President Kennedy, and some Pearl Harbor, our children will remember this day.

As we recall, that morning began with such remarkable blue skies, but ended with a Nation in mourning and stunned disbelief. In Washington, DC, I watched the images along with the rest of the world. Later, as the Sun set over the National Mall--still capped by smoke billowing from the wound in the side of the Pentagon--I will never forget gathering with my colleagues in the House and Senate on the Capitol steps to sing ``God Bless America.'' We sang to send a message to the country and to the world that we would never be deterred--that freedom would never be crushed by the blunt and remorseless instruments of terror.

The notes of ``God Bless America'' still reverberate, the resilience we recaptured as a country remains pressed upon our national psyche, and the memory of the inspirational sacrifices of so many heroic Americans who perished that morning will forever have a home in our hearts and our prayers.

On this September 11 as in all that have preceded it, we mourn 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 men and women of 115 different nations 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--and never returned home. 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 etched forever within our minds the heights to which the human spirit can rise--even and especially in the face of mortality.

Each had a soul, and having visited Ground Zero in the aftermath, I can tell you their presence still triumphed over the twisted destruction--and it always will. We recall that during one of the darkest days in our Nation's extraordinary and storied history, we also witnessed our Nation's mettle and solidarity, the inexhaustible courage and undaunted bravery that provided us with boundless inspiration and hope that sustained us then and inspires us today.

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.

As Americans, we are awed by the noble examples of courage and selflessness that emerged. When the alarm went off in fire stations across New York, firefighters were changing shifts. If they were on the way home, they turned around. If they were finishing up at the firehouse, getting ready to leave, they stayed. Some were retired--veterans already at home--and they reported in. Many were to find themselves climbing higher and higher in those great silver towers toward a fate that must have become clearer with every step.

Their valiant service and sacrifice are also a vivid reminder of the remarkable men and women exceptional enough to don our country's uniform to serve 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 will, and their professionalism steadies our hands in an uncertain world.

As I gathered with Mainers across our State, I could not help but feel that inescapable, palpable sense of patriotism that binds us all together as Americans. It is also, I believe, a continuation of the heightened love of country all of us experienced when our Nation's bravest and finest--in this case our Navy SEALs--achieved what Americas detractors said was unachievable. They triumphantly rid the world of public enemy number one, and brought justice to the evil incarnate that was Osama bin Laden.

In speaking of bin Laden, I have often sounded the refrain that you can run but you cannot hide. Well, thanks to the combined might of our military, intelligence, and counter-terrorism professionals, the message sent to the terrorists of the world with the death of Osama bin Laden is that America will prevail no matter how long it takes, whatever it takes, no matter where you are.

Though justice was finally rendered, the unending pain of loved ones lost does not ease with the passing of years, and yet out of these atrocities emerged heroes who were then and will forever be shining testaments to the very best of who we are as a nation. And so, today, we memorialize those whose lives were stilled on September 11, and at the same time, we cannot help but extol the courage and indomitable spirit they exhibited.

It was an unmistakable message to the world that we would never be deterred--that our freedoms could never be crushed by the cowardly instruments of terror that are no match against a resilient people certain in the knowledge that good ultimately triumphs over evil.

What better symbol could there be of our mettle as a people than the historic National 9/11 Flag initiative. Americans across our country are stitching together the tattered remnants of one of the largest flags that flew over the wreckage at Ground Zero. When our beloved banner of freedom arrived at the U.S. Capitol on July 14, I cannot begin to convey the sense of honor and privilege I experienced in contributing to its restoration. And to share in this event with first responders, 9/11 families, and veterans made this moment one I will treasure, always.

This expression of love for our homeland speaks to the inescapable belief that our strength as a nation has always emanated not from Washington, but from the people themselves--from tireless patriots of their own volition performing the most extraordinary of deeds.

Patriots like the exemplary Freeport Flag Ladies--Elaine Greene, Carmen Footer, and JoAnn Miller, who have waved American flags on Main Street every Tuesday morning, rain, snow, or shine, since 9-11 in tribute to those who have sacrificed for all of us--our brave servicemen and women and our first responders. It was the highest of honors for me to join them early Sunday morning on Main Street in Freeport to wave flags on the 10th anniversary.

Amid the trials and tribulations that this date in our history evokes, we take solace in the sacred truth that none of us grieves alone--that there are no strangers among us, only Americans. Indeed, 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. And so, we venerate the American spirit that is stronger than stone and mortar, tougher than steel and glass, and more permanent than any pain or suffering that can be inflicted upon us.

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