Rockefeller's Statement for 9/11 Remembrance
September 11, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, submitted the following statement into the Congressional Record as America observes the eighth anniversary of 9/11:
Eight years since one of the most devastating attacks in our nation’s history, we still feel the pain and horror of that terrible day. We will never forget the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11th, 2001, innocent victims of a heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on our country. And we will be forever grateful to the countless first responders and fire fighters who courageously risked their lives to save so many.
In the wake of such a horrific tragedy, we came together to share our loss and seek a greater purpose. Our nation was founded on the most enduring values of freedom, liberty, and opportunity that have made us resilient during even the greatest trials. We must continue to call on that great strength today, even as we continue to grieve for those we lost.
In West Virginia, we remember Dr. Paul Ambrose of Barboursville and Mary Lou Hague of Parkersburg. Their lives were taken too soon and their families remain in our hearts and prayers forever. I know that not even time can lessen the emptiness and pain they must feel.
For them, and so many others—parents and children, brothers, sisters, and friends, loved ones who died so needlessly—we pledge to keep our people safe, make our country stronger than ever before, and honor their memories always.
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