Greg Ganske: “Tuesday, September 11, is forever seared into our minds. We will never forget the images of planes flying into tall…”

“Tuesday, September 11, is forever seared into our minds. We will never forget the images of planes flying into tall buildings and exploding, people choosing to jump off buildings rather than burn to death, buildings collapsing on rescuers, clouds of vaporized concrete, steel, glass, rolling down the streets like volcanic eruptions; the Stars and Stripes framed by the flaming crater that was the pyre of 125 soldiers and civilians at the Pentagon. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. Mr. Speaker, we watched those images and they did not at first seem real. The spectacle almost disguised the human toll. At first, the magnitude of the tragedy made it hard for most Americans to grasp. But every day, the newspapers now put faces on the victims and their families. The shock has worn off; and we are left with grief, the deepest grief. We read those obituaries and we find ourselves tearing up. I do not know about my colleagues, but I can only read a few of those obituaries each day before I must stop. We have learned the stories of the brave passengers on United Flight 93 who bid their loved ones farewell, pledging that they would go down fighting. Their plane crashed, but those Americans saved many lives in Washington, perhaps even our own. We are humbled by their courage and sacrifice, ordinary Americans who in 45 minutes became heroes.”