Fortenberry Marks Anniversary of 9-11

Washington, DC - Marking the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Congressman Jeff Fortenberry gave the following remarks in the U.S. House of Representatives this evening:

'Today we remember those who died tragically on September 11, 2001' and the family members who continue to mourn such terrible loss. We honor the strength of these Americans and we also thank the brave men and women defending America today from those who continue to seek to do us harm.

We live in a very special place. We live in a country that is built on the fundamental principle that all persons have inherent dignity and rights. The freedoms we enjoy depend on this fundamental principle. As many did in the immediate aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, Americans are willing to risk their lives for the sake of their fellow citizens ' for the good of country, family, and community.

Last week I had the privilege of formally welcoming home the soldiers of the 67th Area Support Group of the Nebraska National Guard as all returned home safely from a yearlong deployment. What a beautiful scene! Families reunited . . . Husbands and wives in loving embrace, children scrambling to greet the mom or dad they'd known only through letters and photos the year before. Parents taking up young children in their arms, some perhaps for the first time. In their commitment and patriotism, these soldiers had given a year away from family and home to serve their country. Many of our military service personnel will tell you that their service is driven by the events of that fateful day five years ago. They sacrifice so much personally to help protect our nation.

Fortunately there has not been an attack on America for five years. This is not due to wishful thinking. This is due to the extraordinary effort to rethink and reform our national security efforts. Our military, our homeland security forces, police officers, firefighters, and emergency first responders have all played a very important role in protecting America.

Their work helps makes America safer ' their sacrifice keeps our families more secure.

And the compassion, resolve, and support from the American people give their work all the more meaning and help keep our nation strong. We have faced difficult challenges of worldwide significance in the recent past ' World War II and the Cold War. We prevailed then and we must prevail now for the good of our country and the hope of a more peaceful world.'

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