WASHINGTON — Congressman Mike Thompson (D – St.Helena) witnessed the events of Sept. 11, 2001 unfold from the nation”s Capitol.
“I was right there on the hill when all that happened,” he said on Friday. “I was in Washington in my office when the first plane hit the tower. The last thing I thought was that it was a terrorist attack. I thought it was a terrible, terrible accident.”
He left his office to go to the Capitol building and the second plane crashed. He saw smoke coming from the Pentagon.
He said initial information was “sketchy.” Thompson and his staff evacuated, went to his house and he sent staff home from there.
Thompson said he then went to a central location to meet with other members of Congress for a briefing.
“Everybody was pretty edgy. It was hectic. This is not something we had to experience before — an attack on American soil — save the attack on Pearl Harbor.”
Thompson, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said that even with the passage of a decade, it is difficult to find the right words to capture the collective sense of outrage, sorrow and loss of innocence that the nation suffered as a result of the tragic attacks.
“On this day of remembrance, it”s a time to appreciate and honor the brave men and women in the armed forces, law enforcement, emergency personnel, volunteers, U.S. postal employees and members of the intelligence community, who each day perform their sworn duty to keep us safe and to recognize the sacrifices they and their families have made.”
Thompson said the families of those who insure safety to Americans should be remembered and recognized.
“Every day fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters walk out the door to go to work and their families know, they might not come home.”
He said it is also a time to honor the nearly 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives and their families.
Thompson said that other countries have to live with potential acts of terrorism and “now it”s gotten that way for us, too. Terrorism is not something you take a pill for and it goes away. We”re saddled with the threat forever.”
He added that people from 80 countries died as a result of the attacks that day.
Security and communications in the United States saw drastic changes. Thompson said the financial impact and “the changes in our lives that we were forced to make,” were immense.
“It changed the course of our lives forever,” he added.
“Since these attacks, we have witnessed countless acts of service and tributes on behalf of those who lost their lives on this tragic day. These selfless acts help our nation continue to heal as we work to build a better world for future generations.”
Mandy Feder may be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 32.
