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Congressman Kim Statement on Anniversary of September 11th Attacks

September 11, 2020

Congressman Kim Statement on
Anniversary of September 11th Attacks

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) joined Burlington County leaders in taking part in a remembrance ceremony of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. His remarks as delivered are below. Video of the Congressman's remarks can be found by clicking here.

Thank you everyone for coming today and joining together to mark this day. This is a day that weighs on us as we see it coming and approaching on the calendar. It's a day where we confront and think about the memories that we went through on that day. And for me, it's a day where I wake up every single time and think about the families that suffered and were torn apart, the victims of that day, but also the heroes of that day. And it's for them that we gather today here to give them memory. To have that memory continue to burn for many, many years to come.

I remember last year, I commemorated this day at the Pentagon, at the site of the crash. And I remember I was standing next to a teenager who lost a father that day. A teenager who wasn't even yet born and has grown up without the knowledge or the love or of a single memory of a father. And it just hit me about how tragic this has been to so many families. But it also just illustrated how many years have passed, that we have teenagers now of the victims, of those lost that day. And it reminded me how we need to keep redoubling ourselves and our commitment to making sure that we continue to understand and remember what happened that day, but be able to make sure that we are living by that passion and that service mindset and that patriotism that we also felt coming out from there.

I take that a step further as I was about to drive over here this morning. I said goodbye to my two kids at the breakfast table and then one of them followed me out to the car. Didn't want me to leave. He's a three-year-old. He's a little clingy. But I tried to explain to him where I was going, and it wasn't until that moment that I realized that my children are growing up without any knowledge at this point, any comprehension of, of what happened 19 years ago. And it hit me that we are here to honor our heroes, the victims, the families that have suffered. But it's also a commitment that each of us needs to make going forward that, not only that we remember, but that we continue to make sure that this is engrained in the fabric of our families and our country and our communities going forward for even those that don't have the memories that we do of that day.

This isn't just a tragedy for our generation and those that were living 19 years ago. It is a tragedy for our country now and forever, and it is something that should always guide our nation going forward for generations to come. So I'm glad that we are gathering here today, and I hope we continue to do this for as long as we're alive. I hope that we continue to do this as long as we are a nation, because that is what this moment meant for us. It changed us forever, and we know that it's going to make us stronger forever. Thank you.

Congressman Kim is a member of the bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, where he serves as one of twelve members of the House tasked with conducting oversight over programs aimed at ending the Coronavirus pandemic and helping address the economic impact it's having on the American people. Congressman Kim is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.