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[Pages S5525-S5526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11
Mr. McCONNELL. Nineteen years ago tomorrow, thousands of our fellow
Americans were murdered by terrorists. National landmarks were burning.
Brave first responders in New York City, Arlington, and Pennsylvania
rushed into mortal danger, putting their lives on the line to save
strangers.
As the dust settled and 3,000 American families grieved their loved
ones far before their time, we quickly saw there was no going back. The
old world we had woken up to that Tuesday morning was gone.
We had not gone overseas in search of these monsters. These monsters
came to us. These enemies would not leave our Nation alone if we
declined to confront them, so as we reflect on this anniversary
tomorrow, we will remember the thousands of innocent Americans who died
that day and the brave servicemen and women who went on to pay the
ultimate sacrifice to do justice and to prevent more attacks.
My fellow Kentuckians and I cannot be prouder of the heroes stationed
on
[[Page S5526]]
our soil who have deployed throughout the War on Terror. The special
operators of the 160th, the Night Stalkers, based at Fort Campbell, KY,
handled the very first airborne insertion of Army troops in mid-
October--a dangerous fight over the Hindu Kush mountains. The soldiers
they carried were from the famed 5th Special Forces Group, also based
at Fort Campbell, who formed the tip of the spear to unleash the might
of America on the terrorists and their Taliban hosts. The famous 101st
Airborne, also at Fort Campbell, became the first conventional unit on
the ground just days later.
Fast-forward a decade, and the Night Stalkers were helicoptering over
Afghanistan yet again. They inserted and extracted SEAL Team Six the
night we took Osama bin Laden off the battlefield.
Thousands more servicemembers deployed from Kentucky's Fort Knox and
Fort Campbell during the War on Terror, and more than 18,000 soldiers
and airmen from the Kentucky National Guard had been mobilized to
defend our Nation.
Fighting by our side for nearly 20 years now have been our friends
and NATO allies. America's friends invoked article 5 right away and
have fought alongside us to defeat this global threat.
That dark day occasioned brave contributions from so many--from the
firefighters who sprinted through the smoke to the citizens who donated
blood and flew our flag, to the young men and women who are stationed
thousands of miles from home right now to help our Nation project power
and protect our homeland.
We did what Americans do. We stayed strong. We stuck together. We
rolled up our sleeves, and we rebuilt. Some rebuilt their lives. Others
rebuilt buildings. Some put on the uniform and rebuilt peace and
security with their own hands.
May we never fail to honor them, and may we never tire of the
toughness, vigilance, and persistence it has taken--and will continue
to take--to make our pledge, ``Never Again,'' a reality.
____________________
