President Barack Obama leaves the stage after addressing the Fort Hood community at III Corps Headquarters at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas today during a memorial service for the soldiers and civilians killed on Nov. 5. (Photo by Jim Watson / AP / Getty Images)
by Christi Parsons
President Obama today praised the contributions of the 13 people who died in last week's shooting spree at Ft. Hood, Texas, and vowed justice for their murders.
In an address at a memorial service for the dead, Obama promised both fair treatment and penalty for the person who caused it.
"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,'' the president said.
Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is in custody at a nearby hospital, suspected in the mass shooting that killed 13 and wounded 29 at the Army post in central Texas. Authorities have not yet offered a possible motive for the shooting.
While Obama did not explicitly suggest a one, he left room for the possibility that there may have been an ideological motivation.
"This much we do know," Obama said. "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."
As the victims are prepared for burial and wounded comrades recover from injuries in the hospital, Obama sought to comfort both the Ft. Hood community and a nation shaken by such a devastating attack on an American base.
Before the memorial service, the president and First Lady Michelle Obama met with some of those wounded in the attack. Afterward, the two are scheduled to visit other victims at the hospital where they are being treated. The president also will meet later today with the families of people who were killed.
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The lectern where the president spoke was surrounded by 13 pairs of boots, each displayed with an M-4 rifle and a helmet. The stage was arrayed with photographs of the 13 victims, in line with military tradition that offers homage to the fallen.
During the ceremony, military officials conducted a roll-call tribute and a rifle salute for the dead.
Before a sea of more than 10,000 camouflaged service members and their families, the president spoke about each of the people who died in the attack and their contributions both in and out of military service:
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill was a physician's assistant. Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo was a PhD who helped service members cope with the stress of deployment.
Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow was a light-wheeled mechanic and Satellite Communications Operator. An Army major, John Gaffaney spent two decades as a psychiatric nurse.
Specialist Frederick Greene was a combat engineer. Specialist Jason Hunt did a tour in Iraq and then re-enlisted on his 21st birthday.
Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger joined the Army shortly after 9/11. Private First Class Aaron Nemelka volunteered to defuse bombs.
Private First Class Michael Pearson was preparing for his first deployment.
Capt. Russell Seager worked as a nurse for the Veterans' Administration. Private Francheska Velez served in Korea and Iraq and was pregnant with her first child.
Lt. Col. Juanita Warman served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters.
Private First Class Kham Xiong came to the United States from Thailand as a small child and was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.
"Their life's work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted," Obama said. "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."
For many in the crowd, last week's events are still vivid.
Herman Toro, chief of the Soldier Readiness Processing Center where the attack occurred, was shot at but escaped injury.
He says he saw the shootout between Hasan and the police officers. He and a couple others were outside trying to drag a wounded woman to safety when Hasan emerged and began shooting in his direction.
"We process three or five hundred soldiers a day. It's kind of hard to look somebody in the face and figure out what they're going to do," he said. "Nobody thought that a soldier who we mingle with every day was going to be somebody shooting at us."
Lt. Col. Tommy E. Eberhart, deputy director of human resources at Fort Hood, says he kicked the gun away from Hasan after the shootout.
He acknowledged that he worries about other Muslims in the military.
"There may be more and more of that type thing," he said. "He's probably not the only one."
Comments
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and their friends today.
Posted by: former Republican | November 10, 2009 3:43 PM
May God Bless these families and soldiers in this solemn time. The service was sad and an eye opener!!
Posted by: Ange | November 10, 2009 4:14 PM
This was a big moment for the Obama presidency. The speech he gave today should do a lot to shoring up his credibility as a serious leader and his ability to deal with crises.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | November 10, 2009 5:28 PM
A very difficult day for Ft. Hood, and especially for those who lost friends and loved ones. It is a shame that they have to go through this, especially considering the warning signs Hasan gave off the past year. He should have not been there.
I hope President Obama does seek justice for the loss of these wonderful lives. But can justice fully be served when this administration cannot even admit to terrorism; use the words terror, terrorist and terrorism; and admit that PC does not belong in the military or in a conflict? You have to admit there is a problem before you can fix it.
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 10, 2009 5:33 PM
Obama is a liar. Justice, ha. Against who? Himself? BEFORE he was elected he said he would bring troops home, now he plans to send more there. This is why you have dead bodies on yoru hands. Stop lieing and cheating taxpaying civilians. Do you hear me, Tim Geithner? Are you listening Charlie Rangel? You don't want more dead bodies, do you?
Posted by: Jenna | November 10, 2009 5:55 PM
Here is a perfect case where the death penalty would NOT be the right thing to do. I don't necessarily mean in the moral argument of the death penalty, but in the fact that the extremeist Muslim world will glorify him as a martyr.
Make him live out his life in isolation and humiliation.
Posted by: Stephen J | November 10, 2009 7:24 PM
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 10, 2009 5:33 PM
You just cant get through one post without being cynical and deliberately using a sad occasion to mouth off foaming at the mouth about Obama and spewing your idealologies. You realy are a coward!
Posted by: Jenna | November 10, 2009 5:55 PM
Hello, Jenna, wake up! President Obama has brought mayn troop shome from Iraq and duringhis campaign always said that Afghanistan was more iportant to concentrate on. Give it a rest. Bush stole more ofyour taxes then Obama has so far. Get a grip you're falling apart at the seams!
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | November 10, 2009 7:44 PM
Scot, please explain how Bush stole our taxes? Anyway, Obama will have added more to the debt in less then two years than Bush spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.]
Also, Scot, I am not foaming out of the mouth, I just asked legit questions, which you certainly cannot answer. You also might want to go back to school. The misspellings and bad grammar in your diatribe are embarrassing!
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 10, 2009 9:48 PM
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 10, 2009 9:48 PM
Whatever. If allyou can do is spell check my posts then you have too much time on your hands.
And if I have to explain to you how Bush's tax cuts hurt the lower and middle classes then you really are the one who needs to go back to school.
And again, nice of you to connect Obama and this sad event. Smear and fear thats all you kow.
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | November 11, 2009 7:12 AM
Reaction to Fort Hood: Stupidity Beyond Belief !! : http://www.33energy.com/reaction-to-fort-hood-stupidity-beyond-belief.html
Posted by: Alex | November 11, 2009 8:03 AM
My heart-felt condolences to those families that have lost loved ones, because of the rampage, of a sick and delusional person. May the men and women slain, rest in peace, America can not express her true sorrow in your deaths. To all of the Veterans on this day: Thank you for your dedication and your sacrifices, to both, the living and the dead. We owe you more than we can ever repay you. Keep safe, out of harm's way !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | November 11, 2009 8:21 AM
[quote]
Obama will have added more to the debt in less then two years than Bush spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 10, 2009 9:48 PM
'
'
Geographically Stupid Little Johnnie D: In the 8 years Bush was in office he added to the National Debt almost 10 TIMES the amount he spent on Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: BC | November 11, 2009 10:41 AM
I wonder if he gave any "shout outs" before his speech? I feel really bad for the soldiers that have this unexperienced buffoon as their comander and chief. The only time it seems he cares about the soldiers or makes a decision about the wars is when he gets criticized.
Posted by: Dave | November 11, 2009 10:49 AM
To all yee arm chair QBs who probably have never served and therefore not familiar w/ competing military philosophies,
;
To deny the enemy the satisfaction of hearing the President call this terrorism is to deny the enemy a victory.
Posted by: strain to use your brain | November 11, 2009 10:58 AM
Ahhh, Idiot-for-Life BC, can't even get his put downs straight:
Geographically Stupid Little Johnnie D: In the 8 years Bush was in office he added to the National Debt almost 10 TIMES the amount he spent on Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: BC | November 11, 2009 10:41 AM
So, in 8 years Bush added between $2.5 and $3 trillion to the debt. So what you are saying is that he spent about $250 billion on Iraq and Afghanistan?!?!?!
Priceless!
Oh, BC, please expain to everyone how you think Cuba is nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico and that the Dominican Republic is in Central America.
And, Scot, it's actually you and your ilk who have way too much times on your hands. How often do you loons investigate me? Post as me? Post as my coworkers?
And, Scot, I did not smear Obama. All I noted was how he is he going to get justice, when he and his administration cannot even admit to terrorism? Even mention terrorism? Call terrorist acts, "man-made creations?" Sorry, if the truth hurts.
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 11, 2009 10:58 AM
The amount that President Obama has added to the national debt is in direct response to all the financial mistakes made by the Bush administration. Bush took a surplus, gave it away, then had to come up with the funds for two unnecessary wars. Not to mention all the tax breaks for the rich and incentives for companies that shipped jobs overseas (think about all the companies that have shut down and all the people out of work because of this action). AND - let's also not forget that for the first time the budget is reflecting the actual cost of the wars - Bush never included that amount in the budget.
Posted by: Milw-Town | November 11, 2009 1:38 PM
* * * * *
"In the 8 years Bush was in office he added to the National Debt almost 10 TIMES the amount he spent on Iraq and Afghanistan."
.
Posted by: BC | November 11, 2009 10:41 AM
.
Mathematically and historically challenged BS … er … BC:
.
I’m not interested in defending Bush (because I detested his presidency), but I can’t let your wildly inaccurate claim go unchallenged. The U.S. spent at least $1 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by the time Bush left office. Thus, if what you wrote were true, the debt would have increased by $10 trillion during Bush’s terms in office. When Bush took office the national debt stood at about $5.7 trillion. The day Obama took office the debt was about $10.6 trillion. (Check it yourself by going to http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np and put in 01/20/2001 and 01/20/2009 for the relevant dates.) That’s a difference of $4.9 trillion. We can all agree that $4.9 trillion is an awful lot of debt to incur in the space of eight years. (In contrast, the debt only increased by about $1.5 trillion during Clinton’s tenure.) However, $4.9 trillion is less than half of the $10 trillion increase you attribute to Bush. You should do your own math and not rely on BS from others; if you can, that is.
Posted by: John W. | November 11, 2009 1:58 PM
For once, Obama did not talk about himself in this speech, which was commendable for its brevity and content. Has anyone else wondered, however, why the anti-war left has been so silent about Obama's war in Afghanistan? No marches. No pictures of Obama with fangs dripping blood. No riots. Or is the truth about the liberal left finally out: War is okay as long as a Democrat is in charge? Hypocrisy runs deep.
Posted by: Coolidge | November 11, 2009 1:59 PM
And, Scot, it's actually you and your ilk who have way too much times on your hands. How often do you loons investigate me? Post as me? Post as my coworkers?
And, Scot, I did not smear Obama. All I noted was how he is he going to get justice, when he and his administration cannot even admit to terrorism? Even mention terrorism? Call terrorist acts, "man-made creations?" Sorry, if the truth hurts.
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | November 11, 2009 10:58 AM
Your ego is bigger than your brain man. As if I have any interest to pretend to be you. Biggest joke of the day. Your statment about President Obama is a total smear and disrespectful to all those who were murderd on that day. Terrorist or not, the guy who killed those people is a sick individual and until any proof comes up that he was working as a terrorist, he remains just a sick individual. Where do you draw the line between regular murder and terrorist murder?
Check your ego at the door or is it a Fox hole, I think the latter.
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | November 12, 2009 7:52 AM
* * * * *
Posted by: Milw-Town | November 11, 2009 1:38 PM
.
Do you believe anything you wrote here?
.
Let me put it this way: Would you like to buy a bridge? I can sell you one for cheap.
Posted by: John W. | November 12, 2009 4:11 PM
Posted by: John W. | November 12, 2009 4:11 PM
Milw-Town is correct in his post regarding the wars and budget. The costs were never included in his budgets.
Posted by: Scot S. Blakeley | November 12, 2009 9:42 PM