WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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Many people have a vivid memory
 of where they were

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the morning of September 11th, 2001.

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I was a lieutenant on the Aurora Fire Department assigned

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at our training academy,
 preparing to train our new recruits.

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I can still remember the shock
 I felt when I heard the news and witnessed

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the images of destruction
 from New York City, from the Pentagon

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and from Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

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We lost family members,  friends, 
colleagues and fellow Americans.

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The impacts of that event reached
 far beyond a single day.

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Members of our military quickly
 deployed, myself included,

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in support of operations designed
 to bring those responsible to justice.

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Protect our values
 and our way of life and combat terrorism.

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First responders spent weeks and 
months conducting search,

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rescue and recovery operations,
 risking their own health

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and safety in the performance
 of their duties.

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Communities took time
 to heal, to rebuild and to reflect.

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It is a day that I will never forget,
 one that will forever

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be etched in our memories and 
in the consciousness of our country.

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The events of September 11th, 2001,
 changed the way that we engage the world,

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think about our security
and prepare for future threats.

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FEMA joined the newly created Department
 of Homeland Security

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and established programs to increase
 preparedness, enhance coordination

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and provide funding to increase
 our readiness to future threats.

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We are better postured today
 than we have ever been to support

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communities before, during
 and after disasters.

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And we will continue to grow that support.

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As we reflect on
 this event 20 years later,

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I hope that you will take the time
 to hear the personal stories

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from members of our FEMA community
 who were witness to that terrible day,

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who worked to rebuild
 and those who serve to defend our nation.

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We owe it to them, to those that we lost

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and to all those
 who are affected to remember.

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I am proud to present their stories.