Lloyd Bentsen: “I rise in support today of H.Con. Resolution 464, commemorating the solemn occasion of the first anniversary of…”

“I rise in support today of H.Con. Resolution 464, commemorating the solemn occasion of the first anniversary of September 11, 2001, and the vicious attack on the United States and its people that day. September 11 will long be remembered not just for the death and destruction brought upon America and too many of our people, but also for the day in which innocence was lost. The hijacking of civilian aircraft and the taking of thousands of innocent bystanders' lives will forever be among the most heinous of crimes against humanity. Yet, while the attacks, designed to shake our Nation to its deepest roots and break our spirit to be a leader of the Free World, they only served to strengthen our resolve and show the world that the American sense of kindness and community could not be broken even by the most awful of acts. In the midst of a living hell only Dante could describe, Americans rose to respond, first by the police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who poured into burning buildings which had become infernos, risking life and limb to save a fellow citizen and later by military force. As we now know, many made the ultimate sacrifice. Yet, rather than create panic and chaos, the attacks by the terrorists only served to underscore our resolve. Clearly, in the early hours following the attacks, the actions of otherwise ordinary Americans proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the terrorists failed in their ultimate goal.”