Tuesday, 02/17/2009 Print Version |
Governor and First Lady Host Celebration Honoring Captain Chesley Sullenberger
DEL ROGERS: Thank you, everyone, for waiting so patiently while everyone got ready because, as I told you earlier, they were in the gathering room, gathering up, getting it started.
The reason that we're here, we're going to celebrate one of California's great heroes. Let me tell you just a little bit about it, in case you don't know -- he's coming.
CROWD:
Sully, Sully, Sully . . .
DEL ROGERS:
So let me tell you. His name is Chesley Sullenberger, he's a captain of an airplane. And what happened was, he was flying and some birds hit into one engine and he lost that engine. Then some birds hit into another engine, so he had no engine but he still landed the plane. And that's who we're going to honor today. His name is Sully. Okay, so let me hear everybody say Sully, Sully, Sully.
CROWD:
Sully, Sully, Sully . . .
DEL ROGERS:
I can't hear you, a little louder. Where are our flags? I don't see our flags up there. Where are our flags? You guys have your flags? I don't see your flags up on the top. There they are. OK. We're going to let everybody get in here before we get started.
All righty, let's get started. Turn down the music a little bit. Before we get started -- we have a great program for you this morning -- I’m going to introduce some of the folks that are up behind me. First of all, you guys know him, he's the governor of the fine state of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause) His lovely wife, the First Lady, Maria Shriver. (Applause) We also have Captain Sully and his wife here today. (Applause)
We have the Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, he is here. (Applause) We have the Assembly Speaker, Karen Bass, who is here. (Applause) The Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines is also here. Senator Mark DeSaulnier. (Applause) Assemblyman Tom Torlakson. (Applause) Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan. (Applause) One of my favorites, Sac County Sheriff John McGinness. (Applause) Now, I know I didn't get everyone up here and I apologize if I missed anyone that's up here.
Now, we're here to honor one of California's great heroes. Before we do that I want to turn things over to a man who has played the role of a hero in over 40 movies. He is the 38th governor of the fine state of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)
GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:
Well, thank you very much for the nice introduction. And I want to say thank you to all of you for being here today, especially to our various different legislators -- Senator Steinberg and Speaker Bass, Assemblyman Villines and Senator DeSaulnier and Assemblyman Torlakson, Assemblywoman Buchanan and, of course, there are many others that I see here in the audience. In case I don't mention someone, don't feel upset, it's not on purpose; I just don't see all of them but I know there are more here.
I also want to say thank you very much to the First Lady, to my great wife Maria Shriver, for being here today and being such a great, great partner. (Applause) I want to thank Dale Rogers for doing such a great job always for us and having such great, great energy. (Applause)
And then, of course, I want to say a big thank you, of course, to Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger and his wonderful wife Lorrie and his children Kate and Kelly for being here today. Let's give them a big, big hand. (Applause)
Today we are honoring a great international hero, a national hero and a California hero and Captain Sullenberger is such a hero. And I just want to say there's a big difference between a movie hero -- and yes, I've done many movies -- and a real hero. And this is a real hero, so let's give him a big, big, big hand. (Applause)
Now, as governor, there are many things that we one can be proud of and I'm very proud of California, because it's the greatest place in the world. I'm proud of Disneyland and Yosemite and all the things that we have, Hollywood and the beautiful Pacific Ocean and the list goes on and on -- our high-tech industry, our greatest university system and so on and so forth.
But today I’m most proud that we are the home of one of the greatest heroes, 'Sully' Sullenberger. And I tell you something, that this man is extraordinary because, when you just think -- and I'm sure that a lot of you have seen the pictures and have seen the videos and the voice recordings and all of those kind of things. I mean, that is really extraordinary to think about, when you're a captain, or a pilot, I should say, of a plane and you take off and then three minutes later you find out that your engines are dead and that you have only two minutes left to land that plane. And there are not many choices there, because you couldn't get back to the airport, so the only two choices, which is one, to land on top of buildings, or the other one to land in the Hudson River.
Now, two minutes he had in time to land this plane and to make all of those decisions. I mean, it takes me more than two minutes to just choose my tie every morning, just to show to you. Two minutes he had in time. And when you look and listen to the voice recordings you will see how calm and collected this man was, totally in control of the situation and he knew that he had this 700,000 pound airplane and he had the responsibly in his hands, of 155 people.
And then he landed this plan safely in the Hudson River, in the middle of the winter. And not only that but then he told them calmly to get out of the plane and to step on the side of the wings of the airplane. And then, after they have done that, he then walked twice up and down the aisle -- did not leave the plane, walked up and down the aisle twice to check out if everyone is safe and outside the plane. And then he stepped out of the plane while the water was just shooting inside the plane.
That's the kind of thing, when you listen to the recordings, you can see how calmly he has done all of those things and he has saved all those people and they then came to the rescue with boats and all of this.
And then, when you see him at the Inauguration -- we were hanging out at the inauguration of President Obama and I said to him, I said, "This is incredible, the work you do."
He says, "No, no, calm down. I've just done my job." And every interview that I have seen and speeches that he has given, he talks about, very humbly, "I've just done my job." To me that is extraordinary.
So this is why we're here today, this is why I've asked him to come here to the State Capitol, to come here so we can celebrate this heroism, because it's a great inspiration not only to the grownups but especially to the children. And there's also a reason why we asked him specifically today to come here, because today is a very important day. Those legislators upstairs -- they are negotiating and working on a budget -- need a great hero in the State Capitol. They need a great hero in the State Capitol. That should inspire all of the legislators, for them to be heroic today and to pass this budget. So there are a lot of jobs, a lot of responsibilities that you have here today.
So let's give him again a big hand and let's give him some of those gifts. Hold on a second. (Applause) The first thing we have here is the Official Governor's Jacket. I’m going to put his on you. (Applause) All right, very nice. Looking good, looking good.
CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER:
Thank you very much.
GOVERNOR:
Absolutely. Then we have the flag that was flown over the Capitol here, with a license plate that says hero, "California Hero." That's another gift that I wanted to give you. And then we have -- where is our Proclamation? Oh yes, the Proclamation you will get in the office. So congratulations again. Let's give him a big hand. (Applause)
CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER:
Thank you, Governor. I have a reputation for being concise; I hope I don't disappoint you today. (Laughter)
Governor Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver, Madame Speaker, members of the Senate and the Assembly, honored guests; I am honored to be before you today in this historic place to accept your recognition and your thanks for the events of January 15th. On behalf of the other four crewmembers of Flight 1549 and also on behalf of the many thousands of aviation professionals whose daily devotion to duty keeps air travel safe, I gratefully accept this recognition.
In reading the thousands of letters, cards and emails that I've received, it is clear to me that the events of January 15th have captured the imaginations of people around the world. Their words make it clear that we are all searching for good news, we are looking for reasons to hope again and we are looking for reassurance that the things that we hold dear are safe and that our ideals are still true.
I stand before you today to tell you that our ideals are still true and, when we remain true to our ideals and work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Thank you. (Applause)
DEL ROGERS:
Let's hear it one more time for Sully Sullenberger. I can't hear you -- one more time! (Applause) Thank you, Captain. You are a true California hero. Thank you very much.
Now, behind every good man is a great woman, so let's not forget Lorrie Sullenberger, his wife. (Applause) And let's not forget the First Lady, Maria Shriver. (Applause)
As we said earlier, we have a great program for you. Now I'd like to bring on the President pro Tem Darrel Steinberg, Democratic from Sacramento. (Applause)
SENATOR STEINBERG:
Thank you very much, Dale. Governor Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver, Speaker Bass, my other legislative colleagues, thank you for helping me out there, appreciate that. I appreciated very much Governor Schwarzenegger's remarks that Captain Sullenberger, this is a perfect day for you to be here in the State Capitol, because you are, in fact, a demonstration of courage and doing what is oftentimes most difficult. So maybe after we're done here you could just come upstairs and say 'Aye', one time. (Laughter)
But in the meantime I just want to say, to the young people here especially, that your moms and dads always tell you -- because I know my mom and dad always told me -- that if you set your mind to it, you can do anything you want in life. Nothing is impossible. Even when people tell you no way, you can do it. And so this California hero that stands behind us is a living example that every day in your life -- sometimes when you can prepare for it and sometimes when you never expect it -- that you, too, can rise to any height to help people, to save the lives of people and to do great things for your family, for your friends and for your community.
Thank you, Captain Sullenberger, for being such a great, great inspiration. (Applause)
ROGERS:
Next up I'd like to welcome Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. (Applause)
SPEAKER BASS:
I am very pleased to be here today to join in honoring Captain Sullenberger. And I want to thank the Governor for putting on this event. It's very, very nice to have an event like this today while we have been struggling and struggling with our $41 billion deficit, to come out here and to see all of the children, to see a true hero, not just of our state but of our nation.
What struck me most about Captain Sullenberger wasn't just the amazing landing he made on the Hudson River, it was his searching the plane after it was in the water to make sure that everyone else was safe before he exited. And for the young children to take that lesson about helping others, I believe is invaluable. All of the quotes I've seen from his family, friends and coworkers make it clear, none of them would have expected anything less.
Most legislators in the Capitol, myself included, routinely fly two times a week. And I have to tell you that sometimes we take it for granted, the dedication and the skills of the flight crews who keep us safe and keep people and goods moving from around the world. Captain Sullenberger, your extraordinary actions are not only a great example of grace, true grace under pressure, they are a reminder of the vital job you and your colleagues do masterfully every single day.
In 1492, Columbus, the man whose statue stands before us, traveled from Spain to the Bahamas, 4,200 miles. It took him from August to October. Forty-two hundred miles for you, Captain Sullenberger, I believe that's probably a couple of days.
Thank you for the courage and strength you showed landing US Air Flight 1594 and ensuring the safety of your passengers and crew, thank you for representing your profession at its finest and thank you so much for being here with us today. (Applause)
DEL ROGERS:
Thank you, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass. Next I'd like to bring in Senator Mark DeSaulnier. (Applause)
SENATOR DESAULNIER:
Well, first off, thanks to the Governor for doing this, to Maria, to his staff, who always do such a wonderful job at these events, to the Speaker and my colleagues. This is the beginning of a magical day in California. If Captain Sullenberger can do what he did on that day, how difficult will it be for you to get us one more vote? (Laughter)
It was a wonderful moment in the 60 Minutes interview with the captain and his wife, when they were talking about the letters they got. And their favorite letter came from somebody who watched, observed the landing and talked about the Holocaust and how important it was to save every single life. And the Captain and his wife talked about that being their favorite letter because it wasn't just the 155 individuals that he saved because of his professionalism and because of who he is, it was all their family members and friends and people they will connect with throughout the remainder of their lives, thanks to his bravery.
And we should remember that today, that we are all connected. We are connected by his example, that a good and decent American simply doing his job has been a hero for all of us. So thank you, Captain Sullenberger.
I have a Resolution from the Senate and the Assembly and I'd like my colleagues to come forward and help me present it, acknowledging what you have done and sending a little message that we are always in your debt and thank you for your model to everyone in California. Thanks again. (Applause)
DEL ROGERS:
All righty. On behalf of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver, Captain Sully and his wife Lorrie, thank you for helping us honor one of California's great heroes. The day is done. You guys go back to school now, huh? (Applause)
