Sean Patrick Maloney: “on the three-month anniversary of September 11, I rise to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the World Trade Center…”

“on the three-month anniversary of September 11, I rise to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the World Trade Center disaster--the thousands of volunteers from the construction trades and the New York City construction industry. As we all know, the rescue and recovery efforts in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center involved unprecedented, selfless acts of heroism by thousands of firefighters, police officers, Emergency Medical Service workers, and ordinary citizens, who all risked their lives to save others. But often overlooked is the heroism of thousands of men and women from the building trades who ALSO risked their lives and their health working side-by-side uniformed rescue workers all along. These volunteers--construction workers, iron and steel workers, and many others--toiled alongside firefighters and police officers, digging tunnels and gaining access to victims by operating cranes, burning steel, driving trucks, and moving debris by hand as part of the ``Bucket Brigade.'' Many of these individuals gave their time and labor for a week or more, giving up their salaries, families and the comforts of daily life to search for survivors around the clock. They did so at great risk to their health as fires raged and toxic fumes emanated from the burning rubble. Three months later, those fires are still smoldering, and the fumes are still endangering everyone working at Ground Zero.”