I'm
honored to be with all of you today -- with
Mayor Murphy; with Mr. Roddey and Mr. Matter;
with the family of Special Agent Martha Dixon
whom we honor today; with the former Director
of the FBI and the dedicated men and women of
our Pittsburgh field office; and with our many
other special guests.
This is a proud moment for all of us the FBI.
We are thrilled, of course, to have this new
building. This is exactly the kind of state-of-the-art
facility we need to do our jobs better -- to
protect our cities, to fight terrorism, to support
our partners in local law enforcement, and to
handle the other responsibilities that are part
and parcel of our mission. So my thanks to everyone
in the Oxford Development Company and the city
of Pittsburgh for making it reality. You've
done a great job.
I also want to thank and congratulate our team
of Special Agents and support staff here in
Pittsburgh, led by the very capable and professional
Jack Shea. Historically, you've been leaders.
Over the years, you've pioneered the FBI's first
high-tech computer crimes task force and one
of our first fugitive task forces, both of which
now stand as national models.
In just the eleven weeks I've been with the
Bureau, I've seen you do some exceptional work.
Your investigation of United Airlines Flight
93 was outstanding. So were your efforts to
track down and arrest a number of individuals
with fraudulent HazMat licenses. Now, with this
new facility and with the new computer technologies
that we plan to give you and other field offices
in the not-too-distant future, I'm looking forward
to seeing you shine even brighter in the weeks,
months, and years to come.
I want to commend you for naming this building
for a dedicated and courageous Agent -- Martha
Dixon. I remember very clearly the day that
Martha and two of her colleagues were lost.
I was in D.C. at the time, and was deeply shocked
and horrified that such a thing could happen.
It made me sad and angry, but also proud that
we have such brave men and women putting their
lives on the line every day to protect our precious
freedom. As it turns out, less than a year after
that tragedy I took a job prosecuting homicide
cases in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District
of Columbia. I found myself working closely
with the same Cold Case Squad that Martha had
been part of, the team of FBI Agents and DC
police that investigates unsolved homicides.
It's sad to think that I probably would have
gotten to know Martha, Special Agent Mike Miller,
and Police Sergeant Hank Daly had it not been
for the events of November 22, 1994.
Little did I know then that we would be here
today paying tribute to Martha and feeling her
loss as much as ever. Martha was an outstanding
Special Agent. She was smart, talented, and
hardworking. She was SWAT certified and trained
in electronic surveillance. She did exceptional
work across a range of violent crime and drug
investigations. And on that dark day seven years
ago when she came face to face with danger,
Martha was as strong and courageous as they
come. She went down fighting, making the ultimate
sacrifice to protect her partners in law enforcement.
In both life and death, she epitomized the values
that the FBI stands for -- fidelity, bravery,
and integrity. She is a credit to this city,
to the FBI, and to our nation. And we are honored
that this facility now bears her name, an enduring
monument to her legacy of service and sacrifice
and an inspiration to us all.
