Ehrlich on Washington column, September 15, 2002

XEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Rood, Suita 304 LulhwvilU, Morylond 21093 315 Conn on Horn* Office Building Woihington, D.C 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of September 1 5, 2002 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Patriot Day 2002 Last December, my colleagues in Congress and I adopted a little-noticed resolution requesting the President to designate September 1 1 of each year as “Patriot Day.” President Bush issued that historic proclamation for the first time last week, calling on Americans who are “dedicated to the triumph of freedom and democracy” to honor the lives lost on that fateful morning last September. So much has changed from a year ago. President Bush has rallied Americans to their own defense by bolstering investments in our military and bio-defense facilities like those at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and tightening security at international hubs like BWI Airport and the Port of Baltimore. In June, President Bush called for the historic creation of a new Department of Homeland Security, charged with one important mission: protecting Americans from terrorists. An American-led military coalition liberated Afghanistan from the brutality of the Taliban regime, and put Al-Qaeda terrorists behind bars or on the run. Today, thousands of Afghan girls are attending school for the first time in their young lives as a result of our efforts. In his State of the Union Address last January, President Bush called upon Americans to dedicate a small portion of their time to the USA Freedom Corps, a volunteer program that has helped scores of Americans cope with the aftermath of 9/1 1 . By giving folks an opportunity to serve, USA Freedom Corps has helped change America one heart at a time. If you are interested in volunteering to help your community, feel free to visit the Freedom Corps website at http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov. Opportunities to help are available in Baltimore City, Towson, Bel Air, and many more communities throughout Maryland. Those whom we lost last September 1 1 will not be forgotten. They will always hold a place in our prayers and in the history of this nation. Nor will we forget how ordinary folks in New York and at the Pentagon rose to meet extraordinary challenges in the wake of the attacks. Of course, we will never forget the courage of those passengers aboard Flight 93 who fought back over the