Congressman Chris Smith gave the folllowing remarks in the Congressional Record to commemorate the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City and Washington D.C., and the subsequent deaths of innocent victims in New York, Pennsylvania and Virgina:

  I believe I speak for many of my fellow Americans when I say that eight years has not diminished the shock, horror and pain of what occurred on September 11, 2001.  I know it has not diminished the suffering of the loved ones of more than 50 women and men from my own district, the Fourth District of New Jersey, who were among the almost 3,000 people who lost their lives that day.

  The dust and smoke from the collapse of the World Trade Center had not yet settled when I met with families of victims of the attack.  And I continue to marvel at the resilience and courage of these family members who channeled their sorrow into action to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again.  The “Jersey Girls” were among these outstanding advocates, who successfully lobbied here on Capitol Hill for the establishment of the 9/11 Commission.  Another woman who lost a loved one came to work in my office to provide assistance and comfort to many family members of victims in my district who were in need.

  These heroes of the 9/11 tragedy, together with the countless numbers of first responders -- firefighters, police officers, emergency response personnel – as well as ordinary citizens, displayed extraordinary courage on that day and in the days and weeks that followed.  The greatness of America shone brightly in the horrendous darkness that descended on New York City, Washington DC and United Flight 93.

  It is critically important that we – as a nation and as individuals – do not forget the actions that allowed our country to survive this horrendous event in our history.

  I was privileged to take part recently in the development of a multi media program that was created to help students in grades 6–12 to understand the impact and legacy of 9/11. This initiative, called “The September 11 Education Program: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum”, was introduced yesterday for pilot programs in several states, including New Jersey. It was developed by the September 11 Education Trust, an organization comprised of victims’ family members, survivors, rescue workers and educators.  I commend the Education Trust for the excellent work they have done in this presentation of the events of 9/11 for our young people, and for challenging our youth to explore the critical and complex issues that continue to face our country as a result of those events.

  We all need to continue to examine the ramifications of 9/11, as well as the new and emerging threats to our national security.  I was one of those, among so many others, who advocated early and consistently for a commission to chronicle the facts, missteps and opportunities lost leading up to the tragedy and to develop a well-informed, thoughtful strategy to reduce the future risk of an attack. The 9/11 Commission--that was chaired so ably by Governor Tom Kean, the former Governor of New Jersey, and former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lee Hamilton--issued a comprehensive, incisive report that was thoroughly examined by House and Senate committees. Virtually all of the recommendations have been enacted into law. The whole thrust, post 9/11, Madam Speaker, is to mitigate and, God willing, prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again.

  This resolution provides us with the opportunity officially to extend our deepest sympathies to the friends, families and loved ones of those who lost their lives eight years ago on September 11, and to honor all those who bravely risked and often sacrificed their health and their lives to aid the victims. We also recognize the heroic service of our military, intelligence and diplomatic personnel, as well as their families, who have made and who continue to make extreme sacrifices to defend our country from further acts of terrorism.