Mike Pence: “Today marks the 30th day since the Shuttle Columbia disaster, and thus the end of what is for Jews around the world a…”

“Today marks the 30th day since the Shuttle Columbia disaster, and thus the end of what is for Jews around the world a traditional 30-day mourning period for the untimely death of Israeli astronaut Colonel Ilan Ramon. It is my privilege to rise here on the blue carpet of the House of Representatives as friends and family and leadership gather at this very hour in Jerusalem with the bereaved and with the family and children of Colonel Ramon to remember a life of extraordinary accomplishment. Colonel Ramon's journey into space occurred in the midst of continued suffering in his homeland, a horrendous period of violence, and his bravery helped lift the spirits of his countrymen. No one understood the significance of his expedition more than Colonel Ramon himself. Before launching from the Kennedy Space Center on January 16, 2003, Ramon remarked, 'Being the first Israeli astronaut, I feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis. I'm the son of a Holocaust survivor. I carry on the suffering of the Holocaust generation, and I'm kind of proof that despite all the horror they went through, we are going forward.' Mr. Speaker, Colonel Ramon rose from the lowest depths to the highest heights and brought his country, his people, and the entire world with him.”