The gathering of nearly 300 members
of the Senate and the House of Representatives was
held in Federal Hall, the place where the first
Congress convened, and where the first president,
George Washington, was inaugurated in 1789. The
building is just a few blocks from where the World
Trade Center once stood.
The chief speaker was Vice President
Dick Cheney, whose position also makes him president
of the Senate. He recalled New York's brief history
as the nation's capital. He said a member of Congress
at that time reminded his colleagues that the entire
world would be scrutinizing the progress of America's
unique form of government. "Although this city
was the nation's capital for only a short time,
from those early days the eyes of the world have
continued to be on New York. One year ago, this
great center of history, enterprise, and creativity
suffered the gravest of cruelties and showed itself
to be a place of valor and generosity and grace."
Cheney noted that the vast majority
of the approximately 3,000 people killed on that
day died in New York, and he summed up the meaning
of the special congressional session: "Here,
where so many innocent lives were suddenly taken,
the world saw acts of kindness and heroism that
will be remembered forever."
Terrorists hijacked four jetliners
on 11 September 2001. They flew two into the two
towers of the World Trade Center. A third plane
attacked the Pentagon in Washington. A fourth, apparently
headed for another target in Washington, crashed
in a rural area of Pennsylvania. It is believed
some passengers fought the hijackers of that plane.
Also addressing the New York session
was Representative Richard Gephardt (D-Missouri),
the House minority leader. Gephardt said that as
the United States pursues its war on terrorism,
Americans must remember that the victims were people
from all professions and trades, people of all faiths,
people from the entire political spectrum.
"In this great and faithful
struggle, there are no Republicans, there are no
Democrats, there are only Americans. None of us
-- no matter how long we live or what else marks
our time -- will ever forget 11 September."
Gephardt and other members of Congress
spoke repeatedly of the heroism and open-heartedness
of New Yorkers in helping those whose lives had
been forever changed by the attacks.
But one speaker dwelled on the sheer
number of people killed in a single attack at a
single place. He was Billy Collins, the poet laureate
of the United States. Collins read a poem, titled
"The Names," which he had written especially
for today's ceremony. It listed only a small fraction
of the names -- names that reflect the ethnic diversity
of New York and the rest of the United States: English,
Irish, Hispanic, Slavic, Italian, Arabic, Jewish,
German.
In his poem, Collins expressed regret
that there were so many names that no one could
be expected to pay proper tribute to all of them.
"Names wheeled into the dim
warehouse of memory, So many
names there is barely room on the walls of the heart."
Today's special congressional session
was followed by the ceremonial laying of a wreath
at the site of the attacks.
On 11 September, there will be special
ceremonies of remembrance in New York, Washington,
and Pennsylvania. President George W. Bush will
visit each of the three attack sites, and that night
he will address the nation from New York.
The White House says the president's
remarks will include expressions of sorrow for the
victims, praise for those who fought to save lives,
and his determination to defeat terrorism.
Copyright (c) 2002. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with
the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
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