REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE
NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION
U.S.
COAST GUARD 9-11 AWARD CEREMONY
LONG BEACH, CA
SEPTEMBER 8,
2002
Thank you, Admiral Cross, for that introduction.
And thank you Mayor O’Neill and Councilwoman Hahn and distinguished
guests for joining us today.
Nearly one year ago, America suffered the anger of an enemy
who hoped to destroy America by killing thousands of our citizens, our friends,
and our loved ones, and by killing our spirit.
But they underestimated us.
Amid America’s grief and our darkest moments, heroes
emerged. Heroes that gave America
the strength to not only carry on, but to rise to new levels of bravery, and
commitment, and compassion. And
nowhere was this more evident than among the men and women of the United States
Coast Guard who made a sacred vow to serve America.
In one of the largest displays of patriotism and heroism, Group Los Angeles-Long Beach, under the leadership of Coast Guard Captain John M. Holmes, demonstrated an outstanding example of cooperation in the opening hours following the attacks.
Captain Holmes and his crews kept the port area and
surrounding civilian population safe while minimizing delays to the flow of
goods via the marine transportation system.
This was a monumental task, particularly for the busiest port in the
country.
Virtually overnight, Wayne Nomi of the Coast Guard, Javier
Larios of the U.S. Customs Service, Lucas Beebe of the FBI, Michael Graychick of
the Los Angeles Port Police Department, and many others, created, from scratch,
what is now the Sea Marshals program. This
team ensured that ships entering and departing the harbor were under firm
control at all times.
Frank Spear of the California Department of Fish and Game,
Coast Guard Chief Michael Saindon, Petty Officer Jack Williams, and others built
a team to increase harbor patrols, putting more hours on their boats in just
eight weeks than they normally do in an entire year!
Likewise, teams were created to provide shore patrols,
food, housing, maintenance, and the incredible amount of logistics required to
sustain these operations. These
actions have laid the foundation for what has become “the new normalcy”
created by this War on Terrorism.
No single organization could have accomplished what the
members of this multi-agency partnership have done. Through dedication, determination, and teamwork, you kept
America’s busiest port both safe and operational. And our grateful Nation thanks you.
With the new Transportation 9-11 Medal, it is my great
honor to recognize some of these individuals from all levels of government and
industry who came together to meet this great challenge.
It is now my privilege to bestow these honors, on behalf of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, on the 18 people here today.
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