Shelley Moore Capito, September 6, 2002

Last week, I joined members of the House and Senate to travel to New York City for a commemorative joint session of Congress. Although I knew that the two massive twin towers would not be standing when we arrived at Ground Zero, nothing prepared me for the emotional and physical sense of loss I felt when I stood there during the wreath laying ceremony.

There was this gap, this hole. A place where something should be but isn’t.

As I stood there, I couldn’t help but focus on the contrast. In front of us was a huge symbol of tragedy and loss -- a place where so many people had lost their lives. And yet, all around us were symbols of hope and strength.

The area, which at one point held millions of tons of debris from the crumbled World Trade Towers, had been removed. The place was ripe to grow.

As we look back on the events of Sept. 11th, all of us are once again filled with tremendous sense of sorrow and unity.

We continue to mourn those who died last year, when our freedoms were attacked. And we mourn those who have perished in defending our freedoms over the past year, like West Virginia’s own Sergeant Anissa Shero and Sergeant Gene Vance.

We continue to work together to speed up America’s recovery process and ensure swift justice for the terrorists.

One year later... America still lives and breathes with her spacious skies, purple mountains and amber waves of grain. Her cities still hum with the bustle of daily business and her fields still yield new crops in another harvest.

One year later... We have instituted new technologies and policies to make our skies safer, provided terrorism insurance for businesses and boosted funding to states for bioterrorism preparedness.

One year later... We have rebuilt the mighty walls of the Pentagon, cleared the rubble from Ground Zero and amassed a worldwide hunt for the evil perpetrators of last year’s attacks...

The senseless tragedy of that day will never be fully understood. But in memoriam of those who lost their lives, and in affirmation of those who sacrificed and continue to sacrifice themselves, I encourage all West Virginians to recognize the significance of this day.

Hang your American flag. Help a neighbor. Or salute a veteran or an active member of our Armed Services.

Show the world that America stands united, strong, proud and most of all, free.