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Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 7:55 PM UTC

Obama speaks at Fort Hood memorial service

"Your loved ones endure through the life of our nation," the president tells grieving families

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Topics: Fort Hood Shooting, Barack Obama, War Room,

(Updated below with video and text excerpt of remarks.)

President Obama went to Fort Hood Tuesday in order to speak at a memorial service for the 13 people killed in the attack that happened at the Army post last week.

“This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible,” Obama told the grieving family members who’d come to the service, according to prepared remarks released by the White House.

“But here is what you must also know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life’s work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — that is their legacy.”

The president also made very brief remarks about each of the 13 people killed, talking about their lives in and out of the military and giving a little of their history. Perhaps the most striking aspect of his speech, though, the part that will have people talking later, was the way he talked about the U.S., mentioning diversity within the Army and freedom of religion in the country as a whole.

More excerpts from Obama’s remarks:

It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know — no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice — in this world, and the next.

These are trying times for our country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same extremists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans continue to endanger America, our allies, and innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. In Iraq, we are working to bring a war to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.

As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call — the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.

We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it. We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing that they would serve in harm’s way.

We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes.

We are a nation that guarantees the freedom to worship as one chooses. And instead of claiming God for our side, we remember Lincoln’s words, and always pray to be on the side of God.

We are a nation that is dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal. We live that truth within our military, and see it in the varied backgrounds of those we lay to rest today. We defend that truth at home and abroad, and we know that Americans will always be found on the side of liberty and equality. That is who we are as a people ….

So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service. May God bless the memory of those we lost. And may God bless the United States of America.

Update: Obama’s speech is being hailed as one of the best he’s given, perhaps his best since being inaugurated, and with good reason. You can see why in the video of his remarks below.

Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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