Death of Osama bin Laden

Floor Speech

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Mr. COONS. Mr. President, every one of us knows where we were at the moment we heard the tragic news of the attacks on this Nation on September 11. And I trust that all of us will long treasure the moment we first heard the great news last night that Osama bin Laden, after a decade of determined and diligent work by our Armed Forces and by the men and women of the American intelligence community, had at long last been captured and killed. The successful operation by the Navy SEALs team yesterday was the capstone of 10 years of distinguished and honorable service by our brave men and women in uniform.

In Afghanistan, in Iraq, and around the world, literally tens of thousands of Americans over this past decade have faced battle resolutely, carried out their mission with valor, and made all of us proud. When I visited our troops in Afghanistan in February, I saw firsthand their determination, their level of professionalism, and their commitment to this important and long task.

I hope, as we face the days ahead and the uncertainty of what will be the path forward in our continuing conflict with al-Qaida and all who would do us harm, there is no doubt about the determination of the American people about our resolve to pursue, capture, and kill all who would plan attacks on the United States and on innocent civilians around the world.

I wanted to pause today and simply reflect on all who have sacrificed so much. There are hundreds of Delawareans currently serving in Afghanistan, some on active duty, some with the Reserves, some with the National Guard. My wife and I and our family pray every night, as so many do in our Nation, for those who serve us overseas, including personal friends of ours, Brooke James, Troy Baucus, and Jeff Steinberg, who are folks who are on repeat deployment, whose families we know, along with hundreds of others. They have made the sacrifice of deployment. There are many others--17 in the case of Delaware--who have made the ultimate sacrifice in this decade of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, including SGT Sean Moudy, who grew up next door to me, and SrA Liz Loncki, the first Delaware woman lost in combat, and many others who are mourned by their families and communities.

Tomorrow, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins a series of six hearings on our path forward in Afghanistan and a review of our relationship with Pakistan, our alliances in the region, and the incredible investments that we need to continue to make to sustain our effort to take the fight to those around the world who would do us harm.

I wanted to come to the floor today and, for a brief moment, pause and think about what this historic moment means to the American people.

It was just a decade ago in the attacks of 9/11 that a group of determined and hardened terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden, believed they had struck a blow, believed they had hit their target when four aircraft that had been commandeered were turned into missiles and aimed at principal targets that they thought were the centerpieces of America. Two of them succeeded in striking the Twin Towers--knocking down columns of steel and glass. One of them succeeded in striking the Pentagon and setting ablaze the center of our military might. One more, were it not for the intervention of incredibly brave American citizens, might well have struck this very building we meet in today or the White House.

They did succeed in tragically taking thousands of innocent lives. They did succeed in striking a tough blow to our economy. They did succeed in surprising us with an unexpectedly vicious attack on thousands of innocent civilians. But they utterly failed to strike at our spirit. They failed to knock down our resolve. I know that around the world many marveled while thousands of folks flooded out of the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, as hundreds of determined volunteers and public servants flooded in, risking their lives and, in many cases, sacrificing their own lives to try to save some of their fellow countrymen. Most important, in the months afterward, millions of Americans took up the cause of volunteering to rebuild and restore our communities, and thousands volunteered to serve in our Armed Forces.

It is their resolve, their commitment, their professionalism, the great leadership of our Armed Forces, and the decisions made by President Obama and Vice President Biden in leading our Nation today that have brought us to this moment.

I want to close by saying that ultimately those who struck us on 9/11 missed their target. They misunderstood our spirit and our resolve as a nation. Last night, on the other side of the world, justice was served. The tragedy of those who were lost and the sacrifice of those who chose to serve have never been forgotten. But last night, on the other side of the world, justice was served.

Let there be no doubt among anyone around the world who would wish us harm, who would today plot to carry forward the terrible terrorist dreams of this now-dead man, Osama bin Laden: Our spirit is not broken. Our resolve is unbending. Justice will be served.

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