Just about every American who was alive at the time remembers exactly where we were on September 11th, 2001. That tragic day shook New York City, Washington, D.C., Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the entire nation as the lives of the 2,977 Americans were taken in a brutal act of terrorism. 2,977 families would never see their loved ones again because of that awful day, and the United States of America would never be the same. The memorials in the three crash sites serve as reminders of that terrible day, but also that America will never back down.

I will never forget watching the north tower burn when the second plane hit the south tower.  I still can’t imagine the terror of the people inside and the fear their families felt knowing their loved one was there. The family members of Flight 93 received phones calls from passengers to say “I love you” one more time.  And 125 military personnel, civilians, and the 64 passengers on American Flight 77 were killed when the plane hit the Pentagon in Virginia. As we watched the buildings and wreckage burn, a select few were running toward the flames. Police officers, firefighters, and emergency personnel sprinted into the chaos, knowing full well they may never come out. At the most horrific moment in our history, the most heroic among us rose to the occasion. 

Thousands of Americans answered the call to serve after 9/11. Volunteers from around the country traveled to New York to help the recovery effort. First responders worked around the clock searching for survivors, and thousands of young Americans joined the military in the name of freedom. For the next twenty years, our servicemembers fought bravely in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East to prevent terror from arriving on our doorstep again. 

Over the two decades of the War on Terror, 56 Missourians were killed. The last losing his life at the Kabul airport attack last August. There is nothing we can say or do to properly thank them and their families for their sacrifice. In September, I led a House Resolution to honor the Missourians we lost during the war. Again, it won’t fill the hole in the hearts of their families, and it certainly won’t replace the daughters, sons, dads, and moms who will never be seen again. But hopefully it will serve as a reminder to the families of how grateful we are for their sacrifice and as an acknowledgment that they will forever be known as American heroes.  

We Honor the Fallen:

Christopher Michael Allgaier;

Michael Chad Bailey;

Michael Joe Beckerman;

Brian Jay Bradbury;

Paul Douglas Carron;

Jacob Russell Carver;

Joseph Brian Cemper;

Robert Keith Charlton;

Richard Michael Crane;

Robert Wayne Crow, Jr.;

Justin Eric Culbreth;

Robert Gene Davis;

Edward Fred Dixon III;

Jason David Fingar;

James Matthew Finley;

Zachary Michael Fisher;

Jacob Rudeloff Fleischer;

Blake Wade Hall;

Nicholas Joel Hand;

James Warren Harrison, Jr.;

Jonathon Michael Dean Hostetter;

James Roger Ide V;

Issac Brandon Jackson;

Christopher M. Katzenberger;

Jeremy Andrew Katzenberger;

William Jo Kerwood;

Daniel Leon Kisling, Jr.;

Denis Deleon Kisseloff;

Donald Matthew Marler;

Matthew David Mason;

Richard Lewis McNulty III;

Bradley Louis Melton;

James Douglas Mowris;

Michael Robert Patton;

Joseph Michael Peters;

Robert Wayne Pharris;

Ricky Linn Richardson, Jr.;

Charles Montague Sadell;

Charles Ray Sanders, Jr.;

Ronald Wayne Sawyer;

Patrick Wayne Schimmel;

Jared Marcus Schmitz;

Roslyn Littman Schulte;

Billy Joe Siercks;

Adam Olin Smith;

Tyler James Smith;

Christopher Glenn Stark;

Sean Patrick Sullivan;

Philip James Svitak;

Phillip David Vinnedge;

Matthew Herbert Walker;

Jeffrey Lee White, Jr.;

Matthew Willard Wilson;

Vincent Cortez Winston, Jr.;

Sterling William Wyatt; and

Gunnar William Zwilling.