Remembering 9/11
Floor Speech
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Father Mychal Judge was a Catholic priest and chaplain of the New York Fire Department. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he rushed to where he was needed--to the World Trade Center. He was administering last rites to a fallen firefighter when he died amid falling debris from the towers. He is listed as victim 0001, the first recorded fatality of the attacks on America.
A photo of an ash-covered firefighter carrying Father Mychal's body from the wreckage would become one of the most enduring photos of the attacks. Five years after his death, a documentary film about Father Mychal was released. It opens with an interview in which he says:
You wonder what your last hour of life could be. Will I be doing something for someone, trying to save a life?
When we think of 9/11, we remember the shock and horror and the crushing grief. But we also remember the courage shown that day by the firefighters, po1ice, and first responders, by the passengers of United Flight 93, and so many others. We remember and honor all those who have continued to sacrifice to keep us safe, especially the more than 2 million members of our military who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, more than 6,200 of them have given their lives in these wars, and nearly 46,000 have suffered serious wounds.
We remember clearly the outpouring of compassion and common purpose that united us on 9/11 and for weeks after. Like Father Mychal, people across America reached out to help others in their time of need. Jay Winuk is trying to recapture that spirit of good will on this 10th anniversary of 9/11. Jay's brother Glenn was an attorney in New York and an emergency medical technician with a volunteer fire department. He was at home on 9/11 when the first plane hit. He rushed downtown to help evacuate people in his office building a block from the World Trade Center and then joined rescue efforts in the South Tower. He died in its collapse.
On the first anniversary of the attacks, Jay Winuk launched an effort inspired by his brother's sacrifice. It is called MyGoodDeed. The folks at MyGoodDeed and other organizations are working to inspire at least 1 million Americans to honor the victims and survivors of 9/11 by performing good deeds and charitable service in their memories this Sunday, the 10th anniversary. It would be, they say, the single largest day of charitable service in our Nation's history.
There are service activities of every kind planned for Chicago and cities across America. If you are interested in lending a hand, you can go to www.911day.org. Other Americans in Illinois and across our Nation will spend part of Sunday in prayer and at community gatherings designed to build new bridges of understanding between people from different backgrounds and different faiths. I will be attending one of those gatherings on Sunday. I am sure many of my colleagues will as well.
As Members of Congress, we also have an obligation to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 in another way. In the early evening of 9/11, Members of Congress came together on the steps of the Capitol and pledged to work together and to support President Bush in fighting terrorism. Three days later, we passed a supplemental appropriations bill to provide billions of dollars to clean up and rebuild the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and to help the victims and their families. That same day, Congress authorized President Bush to use ``all necessary and appropriate force'' against those who participated in the terrorist attacks.
Soon after that, we approved billions of dollars in aid the airline industry and more billions for the commercial insurance industry. We passed a major stimulus package, including tax cuts, to strengthen our battered economy and help workers who had lost jobs in the attacks. We agreed to put aside our differences on contentious issues and work quickly, and work together, to help the American people and our economy in a time of crisis.
Today, Americans are living with a different fear than we felt on 9/11. They are concerned about how they are going to support their families. They are worried they might not find another job or lose the job they have. Middle-class families who have seen their home values plummet and their retirement savings halved in the last few years worry about how they will pay for the kids' college and whether they will be able to retire with even a little dignity and security. We need to demonstrate the same urgency and unity in repairing our economy as we showed in recovering from 9/11.
Last night, President Obama came before Congress and laid out a responsible plan to create good jobs in America today, invest in our Nation's future, and reduce our deficit. I hope this Senate will give the President's plan prompt and fair consideration. We can negotiate. We can make adjustments and improvements. We can look at alternative plans. The only thing we can't do is nothing. To debate and delay endlessly while people are losing their jobs and their homes is inexcusable.
Nearly 3,000 innocent people lost their lives on September 11, and nearly 3,000 children lost a father or a mother. On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I say to my congressional colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans: Let's sort through our differences--honestly, fairly and quickly--and work together to get our economy back on track and Americans back to work. Let's preserve the American dream for the families of 9/11 and for all of America's families. That is how this Congress can honor the victims and heroes of 9/11.
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