WASHINGTON: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport rendered honors Monday morning to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. CBP employees honored those victims and observed a moment of silence in their memory.
CBP employees at DFW took part in rendering honors by manning the primary line. The practice mirrored a century’s old naval tradition similar to the manning of the rails aboard naval vessels as a means of paying tribute or rending honors. On this day, all CBP personnel stood side by side along the primary CBP processing line and observed a moment of silence for the nearly 3,000 men and women who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “Today marks the 16th anniversary of the deadly attacks of September 11, 2001. Our thoughts and prayers turn to all who were lost and harmed that destructive day in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania,” said Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP Port Director in Dallas. “Our American spirit is defined by our ability to rebuild, stronger and more united in purpose. As we honor this occasion with a personal moment of silence at 7:46 a.m. central time, which is the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center, never forget them. Please join me in a moment of silence.”
All CBP processing at Air Passenger, Trade, Cargo, Tactical, Global Entry, and Mission Support stations were temporarily halted, as CBP employees observed the moment of silence in the Passport Control processing area. Less than two years after this terrorist attack, the Department of Homeland Security was formed. The U.S. restructured several agencies including forming U.S. Customs and Border Protection. CBP’s mission is to safeguard America’s borders thereby protecting the public from dangerous people and materials while enhancing the Nation’s global economic competitiveness by enabling legitimate trade and travel.
