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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2011
SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE SENATE PASSAGE OF BILL TO HONOR FALLEN VICTIMS OF 9/11
Bill Awards Congressional Medals to NYC’s September 11 Memorial and
Museum, Pennsylvania’s Flight 93 National Memorial, and Washington, DC’s
Pentagon Memorial
Senators: “These Medals Pay Tribute to Our Nation’s Heroic Men and
Women”
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) today announced the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act, legislation that honors the victims of 9/11 by giving the President the authority to award Congressional Medals to each of the three 9/11 memorial sites around the country: the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, The Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon.
“While no medal, award, or commendation will ever be able to express the heroism, sacrifice, and patriotism of those we lost on that fateful day, it is right to award this honor to the thousands of heroes we lost on September 11, 2001,” said Senator Schumer. “The awarding of these medals, to each site of the attacks of September 11th, will serve as a reminder to the nation, and the world, that we will never forget.”
“We honor the thousands of innocent lives lost on September 11th and the ultimate sacrifice our fallen heroes have made,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These Congressional medals serve as a reminder of their extraordinary courage and symbolize the resilience of our great city and our nation.”
Under the legislation co-sponsored by Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, the design of each medal would honor the men and women who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, including public safety officers, emergency workers, civilians, and the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175; the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was brought down in Pennsylvania near Shanksville; and those who lost their lives at the Pentagon, including the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 77.
The bill would also allow sales of duplicate medals to the public, which would help cover costs and overhead expenses. The surplus from the sales will then be distributed equally among the three memorial sites.
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