“As we consider this resolution, I would suggest that every member take a moment to close their eyes; if they’re in their offices, turn off the chattering of the television, or the importuning of their staff; and try to think back to Sept. 11, 2001,” said Ackerman. “It really was 8 years ago.”
He asked House members to “remember how beautiful that day was. Perfect. A clear, crisp September day, with a cloudless sky. Remember where you were when you heard that our nation was under attack; when you first saw those awful images of the towers gushing black smoke, and the Pentagon in flames.”
He asked them to remember the thousands of people who died in the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon, and to “remember the inconceivable heroism of the first responders who rushed into the flames and the chaos in order to save others.” Ackerman also praised the courage of the passengers on United Flight 93 who lost their lives.
“We cannot bring them back and we can not give meaning to the horrific act that took them from us,” said Ackerman, “but we can remember them as our fellow Americans, as people whose lives were connected to thousands of our fellow citizens who still mourn them to this very day.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., commented, “It is their voices that remind us not just of images of destruction and despair, but of the unity we all felt in the wake of the attacks; and of our common humanity and shared strength; of our potential to move forward as one community, one nation.
“May we take inspiration from the memories of the heroes of 9/11,” she added. “May this resolution rekindle the spirit of service and sacrifice among all Americans. May God continue to bless the United States of America.”