Sept. 11, 2003 – Delegate Donna M. Christensen joined her congressional colleagues in front of the Capitol building on Thursday for a commemoration of the Sept. 11 anniversary.
"I was proud to join my colleagues today as we paused to remember not only the attack that took place two years ago, but the countless acts of bravery, heroism, compassion, generosity and courage with which Americans all over the country have responded," Christensen said in a release.
She said 2,000 children lost a parent in the terrorist attacks and noted that among the 146 who did so in the Pentagon crash was the young daughter of Army Staff Sgt. Maudlyn White, a Virgin Islander.
"The sacrifices since that day have been great, and our military men and women continue to sacrifice as they are taken away from their families and lives to defend our country in faraway places," Christensen said.
She said 175 V.I. Army National Guard members have served or are currently serving in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, in Iraq, at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay or on other bases and installations. "We pray for them and their families and for their safe return home. We also pray for those Virgin Islanders and all other Americans serving in the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy," she said.
As a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, she said, she participated in a hearing Wednesday on "Building Effectively on Hard Lessons" learned from Sept. 11.
The committee reviewed the findings of the Gilmore Commission, an advisory panel established to assess the nation's domestic response capabilities to terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. It also heard from the congressional Joint Intelligence Committee concerning "what we have learned, how far we have come, and recommendations for our future preparedness."
It is clear that we have made some progress," she said, "but there is still much left to be done."
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