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President Obama speaks at Ft Hood Memorial

Aired November 10, 2009 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Private First Class Aaron Nemelka was an Eagle Scout who just recently signed up to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the service -- diffuse bombs -- so that he could help save lives. He was proudly carrying on a tradition of military service that runs deep within his family.

Private 1st Class Michael Pearson loved his family and loved his music, and his goal was to be a music teacher. He excelled at playing the guitar, and could create songs on the spot and show others how to play. He joined the military a year ago, and was preparing for his first deployment.

Captain Russell Seager worked as a nurse for the VA, helping veterans with post-traumatic stress. He had extraordinary respect for the military, and signed up to serve so that he could help soldiers cope with the stress of combat and return to civilian life. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Private Francheska Velez, daughter of a father from Colombia and a Puerto Rican mother, had recently served in Korea and in Iraq, and was pursuing a career in the Army. When she was killed, she was pregnant with her first child, and was excited about becoming a mother.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans. She was a single mom who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters. She also left behind a loving husband.

Private 1st Class Kham Xiong came to America from Thailand as a small child. He was a husband and father who followed his brother into the military because his family had a strong history of service. He was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

These men and women came from all parts of the country. Some had long careers in the military. Some had signed up to serve in the shadow of 9/11. Some had known intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some cared for those did. Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity, the decency of those who serve. And that's how they will be remembered.

For that same spirit is embodied in the community here at Fort Hood, and in the many wounded who are still recovering.

As was already mentioned, in those terrible minutes during the attack, soldiers made makeshift tourniquets out of their clothes. They braved gunfire to reach the wounded, and ferried them back to safety in the backs of cars and a pickup truck.

One young soldier, Amber Bahr, was so intent on helping others, she did not realize for some time that she, herself, had been shot in the back. Two police officers -- Mark Todd and Kim Munley -- saved countless lives by risking their own. One medic -- Francisco de la Serna -- treated both Officer Munley and the gunman who shot her.

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. 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 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's who we are as a people.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. It's a chance to pause and to pay tribute, for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them, for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents, for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union, for history is filled with heroes.

You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe, an uncle who fought in Vietnam, a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, all of us -- every single American -- must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes. This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in the time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known.

They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self- government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are men and women, white, black, and brown, of all faiths and stations, all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half-a-world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today's wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops' success -- no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of the impact of these young men and women is no less great. In a world of threats that no know borders, their legacy will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad.

It will serve as testimony to the character of those who served, and the example that all of you in uniform set for America and for the world.

Here at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to 13 men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest, when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured, when today's service men and women are veterans and their children have grown, it will be said that this generation believed under the most trying of tests, believed in perseverance, not just when it was easy, but when it was hard, and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

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 that we have lost. And may God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)

COL. MICHAEL LEMBKE, III CORPS CHAPLAIN: Please be seated.

A reading from the 40th chapter of Isaiah.

Have you not known, have you not heard, the lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint. And to him who has no might, he increases strength.

Even you shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted, but they who wait for the lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

Here ends the reading.

Do you not know, have you not heard these words from Isaiah call our spirits to attention and focus us in our grief on the importance of getting wisdom and listening?

We are often taught that, in the midst of great pain, that one should focus on a central point or theme. In our time of intense sorrow and emotion, even now, great learning and growth can occur.

So, we do not run away from the pain, but, rather, we turn to face these difficult times, not alone, but gathered together with others, as we do now.

We gather in this place as an army family, as a Central Texas community and as an entire nation to grieve. Our grief is deeply personal. We do not experience it as an abstract construct or a philosophical category. (AUDIO GAP)

We also grieve as a family. And it is in this larger context and at this moment that we can seek the wisdom of God. And, as Isaiah writes, this wisdom is found in waiting on the lord's timing.

In this most difficult circumstance, we realize our human frailty. We may feel, as the Scriptures say, faint or weary, but we can be assured of God's presence. And we are sustained by the physical presence of so many in this place and throughout our nation.

We can experience this as a moment of unity born out of the strength of a diverse national fabric, strong, ethnic, religious, and regional threads that weave together to encourage deep reflection and thoughtful response.

These are the seeds that grow into the fruit of divine, inspired wisdom. These words from the Scripture also encourage us to listen, to have the mature realization that, while our own personal grief and feelings are very, very important, we must also consider the grief and feelings of others.

Let us pray for the ability to put aside anger and the self- righteous indignation that often arises when great, tragic, unwarranted violence has occurred. We must commit ourselves to get out and get up and, in our prayers and in our actions, to listen to others.

We can take this time of tragic loss as an opportunity to listen and pray and be sustained by the very presence of God and our local and national family. As the text says, we can be born up as on wings of an eagle, and when we are carried this way, our perspective is broader, our view longer, and our hope deeper.

I pray that God will give us that strength and determination to gain wisdom through listening, prayer, and unified action, that God will also grant us the trust necessary to support one another, so that we might both grieve and grow.

Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please rise for the benediction, and remain standing for the roll call, the rendering of honors to the fallen with three rifle volleys and the playing of "Taps."

LEMBKE: Let us pray.

Lord God almighty, bless and keep us. Comfort those who mourn. Sustain those who are weary. Encourage those who are in despair. May the strong sense of community that we now feel grow within us a confidence to meet the demands and challenges of these difficult days, and may we all be renewed in mind, body and spirit. Grant this, lord, unto us all.

Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The roll call is an Army tradition. Sergeants major routinely call the unit's roll after battle to account for all soldiers under the command.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Vaughn (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief Warrant Officer 2, retired, Cahill.

Captain Williams (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Major Caraveo.

Sergeant 1st Class Long (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staff Sergeant DeCrow.

Staff Sergeant Henson (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Captain Gaffaney. Specialist Taylor (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Specialist Greene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Specialist Herd (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Specialist Hunt.

Sergeant Hine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staff Sergeant Krueger.

Private Candalaria (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private 1st Class Nemelka.

Private Hartman (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private 1st Class Pearson.

Staff Sergeant Doram (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Captain Seager.

Specialist Barrell (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private Velez.

Specialist Coverdell (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lieutenant Colonel Warman.

Specialist Edwards (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, Sergeant Major.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: PFC Xiong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

Raise. Aim. Fire!

(GUNSHOTS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raise. Aim. Fire!

(GUNSHOTS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Raise. Aim. Fire!

(GUNSHOTS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

The official party, family members and invited guests will now render final honors. Please feel free to leave quietly and respectfully or remain to pay final honors.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: This memorial ceremony at Fort Hood is now complete, the president and the first lady paying their personal respects one more time to the 13 fallen heroes.

Our national -- chief national correspondent, John King, is there.

John, the president is placing a coin at each of these photos surrounded by the boots.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And, Wolf, that is part of the military tradition.

Every general and many leaders in the military have their own coin. I received one last week from a colonel who runs the Warrior and Transition Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington.

The president has the commander in chief coin, and he is leaving one as a tribute to each of the fallen, as you see the president and first lady Michelle Obama making a round. It is the ultimate tribute from the commander in chief.

If he greets a member of the military, if he gives an honor to a member of the military, he might shake their hand and leave them with his coin. And, here, he is placing the commander in chief coin before the portrait of each of the fallen as he and the first lady, after this ceremony, are the first to pay final honors.

You see them pausing and reflecting at each of the 13 stops along the way at the end of this very moving ceremony -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I thought it was really appropriate, John, that the president mentioned each of those 13 fallen heroes by name, gave a personal reflection on each one. As he did, I am sure the family members, the sons and daughters, the mothers and fathers, the wives, the husbands, the grandparents, the uncles and the aunts who were there wearing those little white ribbons signifying that a fallen family member's relatives were -- were there, I am sure they were moved.

And I know he had a chance to speak individually, together with the first lady, to all of those family members who have come to pay their respects. He also met with many of those who were wounded who came on crutches, in wheelchairs.

They came to this memorial service. And, from here, we're told the president and the first lady will go to the hospital on this base to meet with some of those others, some of the other wounded U.S. military personnel.

It was a speech that the president carefully worked on. And, I must say, what jumped out at me were these lines.

"It may be hard to comprehend," the president said, "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."

Michael Gerson, you used to write speeches for President Bush. Did the president hit the tone, the appropriate tone, in these remarks today?

MICHAEL GERSON, FORMER SPEECHWRITER FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I thought it was a well-constructed speech. I hit -- I think it hit every important note.

You mentioned that he talked about every individual. And it means so much to families to hear the name of their loved one from the president of the United States. I think that was a very nice tribute.

There was steel in the speech, as you talked about. Justice in the next world is a pretty strong claim there, also talked about, these crimes will not go unpunished.

I think he also -- he gave appropriate praise to a new generation of soldiers that's conducting a new long twilight struggle that's not going to be ended with a peace treaty. It's -- victories are every day of peace.

But the whole ceremony was extraordinary in a certain way. With the boots and the naming of the roll call. It showed that the military is not just a community of soldiers. It's a community of love and loyalty. And no gunman is going to be able to undermine that unity.

BLITZER: Very important, Barbara Starr, for the commander in chief to address the U.S. military directly during these kinds of special moments. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This was very personal. This was a message to the men and women at Fort Hood and across the military, who are suffering right now.

And, as we continue to look at these pictures, Wolf, you see the personal touch here. The soldiers filing by are pausing at each point and rendering a salute, their personal salute, 13 times to the fallen.

Just to explain to people a little bit, this arrangement, if you will, of the boots, the rifle, and the helmet is known in the military as the battlefield cross. This is the gear of the final march of the final battle for each of these soldiers, their boots, their weapon, their helmet.

And this is one of the traditions we have continued to see across Iraq and Afghanistan, that pause and that slow salute.

BLITZER: We have come, Candy Crowley, to expect a president of the United States, a commander in chief, during these moments of sorrow to address the American public and to give us some sense of what is going on, whether a Ronald Reagan or a Bill Clinton or a George W. Bush, and now a Barack Obama.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting because grief in private is complicated. Grief writ large on the public stage is even more complicated, because -- and I think Michael has addressed this really well.

This reminded me a little bit of President Clinton after the bombing at the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, when he had to address both the kind of anger that was out there, as well as the American values that exist.

And we heard President Obama say, certainly, the alleged killer will get all of the protections of U.S. law, the values that we hold dear in justice, as certainly as he will meet justice.

President Clinton said something very similar after the Murrah bombing explosion. Teachable moments, I think we see, in all of these speeches.

I think we saw with -- there's a difference, obviously, between Ronald Reagan and the "Challenger" which was not a hostile act, it was a horrible tragedy. And the Murrah building or something like this. When you're addressing so many things and at the same time when you want the nation to sort of move on. It's kind of -- you have to be forward looking as well. And I think that's what the president also addressed here in this speech as we saw Ronald Reagan talk about, as we saw George Bush talk about at post 9/11. Here are our values. There was strength but there was also this idea that we are still this nation of values and we still need to move forward in midst of all this tragedy.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): John King, you're there at Fort Hood, and the folks are paying their final respects to these 13 fallen heroes. They're getting ready to leave, about 15,000 came to this memorial service. The organizers I thought hit all the appropriate, all the appropriate tones. The speakers making the powerful points that they did, but give us a final thought as we watch what's going on.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, Wolf, you are watching the family members now. The president has passed the stage. And these family members who are each stopping to pay tribute to their husband, to their father, to their son, to their daughter. They have been comforted by the commander in chief and they have been comforted by this community today. But as we watch this picture and we move on from this moment, we should remember that their grief and their own personal transitions and struggles are just beginning. A remarkable tribute, a moving and a solemn tribute here today but to watch the family members now proceed by and to see their tears and to see their salutes as to be reminded that for them the hardest part of this is just beginning.

BLITZER: It's so sad. You think of the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and sisters and the kids, the grandparents, all of the relatives and the loved ones who have come to pay their respects. You see those white little ribbons attached to individuals. They are family members who remember their loved ones, oh, so poignantly, oh so dearly. It is so, so sad that to think how they are mourning what they're going through. I hope they were comforted by what they heard from the president of the United States, the commander in chief, what they heard from the army chief of staff, what they heard from the base commander.

This was -- and what they saw symbolically during the -- whether during the taps or the firing of the volleys or that final roll call where the Command Sergeant Major Donald Felt read individual names. Those who were present said here, sir, but others we did not hear a response from those 13 who were called. What a sad moment, indeed, that is. It's one of those things that you expect to see when soldiers die in combat, overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, you don't expect to see it when u.s. military personnel are slaughtered needlessly, with no rational explanation any of us can comprehend, on a u.s. military base. How sad are these pictures that we're watching right now. Michael Gerson, you put these kinds of words together for a President of the United Sates and as you see these sad moments, it's so hard for this woman, as we can see, she's supported by two soldiers who are trying to help her get through this painful, painful ordeal.

MICHAEL GERSON, OP-ED COLUMNIST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST (voice- over): You know, most of the time when a president speaks he's speaking on topics that don't matter as much to Americans but there are a few times when the rhetoric really matters. This is one of those moments, when the comfort was real, when the moment was tragic and, you know, it shows that a president matters.

BLITZER: And when the president said, "We've come together filled with sorrow for the 13 Americans that we have lost with gratitude for the lives that they led and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry-on." Candy, those are all volunteers. They're not drafted in the United States military. They volunteer to step forward and put their lives on the line. CROWLEY: They do and you heard Veterans Day in this speech.

BLITZER: Tomorrow.

CROWLEY: Very much. It's tomorrow. And it was very much laced with these are individuals who typify what is going on in the whole in the military. So there was very much a tribute not just to these 13, certainly who commanded the bulk of this day, but also a way to take these 13 and have them typify what goes on in the army, the marines, and the navy, the air force, all, you know, as a whole. So it really was, and I suspect, in fact, that some of these lines and some of these things the president was saying certainly were intended in some ways as a Veterans Day salute. Even prior to this horrific tragedy.

BLITZER: And Barbara Starr, I thought it was really appropriate that when the president mentioned each individual, each of those 13, he gave us a little bit of insight into who they really were.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, I think that's right, Wolf. You know, what is it now? Somewhere over 5,000 troops have fallen in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, and families often tell us when we visit with them, they just want to make sure in the military that their loved one is not forgotten and their contribution to the military is not forgotten as the years go on. The president talked about, you know, everyone in the military plays a role in serving the country, keeping the country safe. Part of the sadness, perhaps, here today for some of these younger troops, they never got the chance to serve that they wanted to. These are lives of military service unfulfilled, and that is so sad. But as you look, today, as these soldiers overcome with emotion and, yet, rendering their very solemn salute to their comrades in arms, it just tells you how personal all of this is and it is not something that is going to fade from the memories soon.

BLITZER: As these family members, surviving family members of those fallen soldiers, go past the pictures of their loved ones, we see how hard it is to be composed, to remain. It's totally understandable. The grief, the sorrow that they're going through. It's unbelievably painful for so many of them, for all of them, as they pay their, respects, their final respects to their loved ones. Here we see wounded u.s. Soldiers, wounded in this incident, this rampage last Thursday. For no reason that we can comprehend.

A United States Army Major, allegedly opens fire and starts killing fellow soldiers. As the president of the United States said, 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. John king, you're there. None of us can understand how this could happen in the United States of America.

KING: And on these posts, these installations, Wolf, it's hard for us to understand, perhaps, even harder for the soldiers and their families because this is where they train, this is where they come home to recover. This is where when they rotate home they are so happy to be reunited with their families, after a year or 15 months in combat overseas. And this because it is the army's largest installation has seen such a cycle of deployments out and back from the war zones. And it is here where they put back a relationship. Many marriages in the military are strained by these repeat deployments. Many young children don't know their parents very well because of these repeat deployments.

Many of them men and women who comeback, need either physical help recuperating or psychological help recuperating. And this is where they do it. And they go to school here, they go to grocery store here, they got to the gym here. When they're home, yes, they still have to train but they live lives like the rest of us. Which is why this hurts so much and everyone has spoken of it. The Commander General, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the President of the United States, every soldier we've spoken to hear that how they expect, not that it makes it easy, but they expect to suffer wounded and casualties and fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even in training overseas in places like Korea and Germany, but not here at home. Not here when they're back with their families in their safety net, where they get the support services they need because of the remarkable strain on the army these past eight plus years.

And you see it, Wolf. I can't find the words to explain and to describe what you see happening here as the family members first get a chance at this service to stop by the post where their loved one is being honored and remembered. You see the tears and you see the no mementos thing left. And by the time we are done here, there will be flowers and coins and notes and other things left at each of these posts. In the past when I've dealt with these, some of the families decide to bury them with their loved ones. Others keep them to remember. And if you have visited, I know Barbara has visited the home of parents who has had to do the unthinkable and bury their child, most of those homes will have little shrines in them and they are remarkable places to visit.

BLITZER: Barbara Starr is here. You see a parent, you know, parents are not supposed to bury their children. Children are supposed to bury the parents. Barbara Starr, but you see these parents who have survived this ordeal and have to bury a son or a daughter.

STARR: I think John and I and all of us here, Wolf, would agree the hardest thing a reporter can have to do is go to the parents of some young service member who has died in battle and say, tell me about your child. These kinds of ceremonies that everyone is watching, Wolf, it's important to remember these happen mainly in private, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, at funerals and cemeteries across the country and military bases. For every soldier who dies. It is America is seeing this in very public fashion today, perhaps, so many Americans for the first time. And, perhaps, if there is anything to come out of this, so many people watching will now see the price that families pay for military service in this country and the sacrifice that they make. John spoke, I think, a moment ago.

We see so often at military cemeteries, especially here in Washington at Arlington cemetery, mementos left on the graves of those who have recently fallen in battle. You can go to a place called section 60 in Arlington and you will find flowers, you will find teddy bears, you will find empty beer bottles left by comrades who have stopped by and had a toast to their fallen buddy. This is one of the great traditions that have emerged. The grief, the remembrances are all very, very personal -- Wolf.

BLITZER: President of the United States said in his remarks, "We say good-bye 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." Michael Gerson, I was also struck by these lines that the president said early in his remarks. He said, "For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers, you knew them as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers." Beautifully written words but also powerful and also true.

GERSON: I agree with that. He celebrated both heroism in this speech, people that did extraordinary things and he celebrated the normality of everyday life the way that these people were experienced. And it demonstrated in that picture he drew just how extraordinary the people are who volunteer for u.s. Military. How diverse, how extraordinary and how each one of them has their own story which contributes to our liberty.

STARR: One of the things, when that going back and looking at some of these other speeches at times of national mourning, be it 9/11 or the Murrah building or the even the "Challenger" is. There are so many similar paragraphs you see that you see. One that is always in these speeches is a reaching out to these families saying nothing I can say can possibly help here, but, you know, we hope you know that we're grateful for the service and happened with challenges and astronauts. Murrah building was a government building, full of employees, as well as young children in daycare. Certainly 9/11, the president and his speech at the National Cathedral talked about who were going about their everyday lives. And that's really the toughest part is that as many words can be said, nothing helps, nothing helps.

And that's where these families are now, as the nation tries to kind of put it into some sort of context, which, again, is a part of a president's job and it's something that the previous presidents in these times have tried to give some context, be there as sort of a stabilizing factor as people try to put together pieces which basically don't fit together. Basically was an irrational act that so many of these things seem to us. And it's up to a president really to bring some reason and some calm in a situation where many don't feel either rational or calm.

BLITZER: We see some of the wounded now continuing to go before these pictures of these 13 fallen. Heroes paying their respects. Many of the wounded did come to this memorial service either with crutches or canes or in wheelchairs and others who couldn't come, they are still in the hospital and the president and the first lady were scheduled to leave this memorial service and go to that base hospital to meet with some of those wounded. Some still in critical condition as we watch what's going on. John, pretty soon the president will be getting ready with the first lady to get on Air Force One and fly back to Washington. He brought a major delegation with him, including the defense secretary. I saw Senator John McCain, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, and others. They all came to pay their respects.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And the delegation, the depth of the delegation, the breadth and the stature of the delegation, Wolf, reflecting what you talked about earlier, that this is a moment for the nation. It is a moment for this president.

As, Candy, was just discussing, a moment to reflect, not unlike the days after Oklahoma City. And Michael Gerson was there in the early days after 9/11. When the president is called to do something that is not political, that I, in part religious, I think as Michael said earlier, spiritual, at least, to help these individual families and to comfort them but also to try to rally the country.

We may not be able to answer the question everyone is asking with enough clarity to satisfy us. And that question, of course, is why and how? Why would someone do this and how could they do it on a place like this -- on a military installation?

So, the president had to rise to the challenge today and it is -- it's an honor to be here, Wolf, because it is such a moving scene, as you continue to see it. The president is meeting at the hospital with the wounded who could not make it to this ceremony, paying tribute to them and their families. And now, we see friends and members of the Fort Hood community wandering by to pause and reflect, to offer a salute. Just a private, simple silent tributes and the dignity of it is quite remarkable.

And as the band is continuing to play, but with the exception of the music, it is very, very quiet on the grounds just outside the III Corps headquarters. And you see the military remembering and doing what it has, perhaps, far too much experience in doing these past eight years, paying tribute to those who have fallen. And it is -- the pictures are moving, and to be close to it, Wolf, I can tell you it's even more moving than I think the pictures or any words we can find can convey at this moment.

BLITZER: Thirteen sets of boots, 13 rifles, 13 helmets, 13 photographs, 13 individuals. The president spoke of each one of those 13.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Neither this country nor the values upon which we were founded could exist without men and women like these 13 Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill had served in the National Guard and worked as a physician's assistant for decades, a husband and father of three. He was so committed to his patients that on the day he died he was back at work just weeks after having had a heart attack.

Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo spoke little English we he came to America as a teenager but he put himself through college, earned a PhD and was helping combat units cope with the stress of deployment. He's survived by his wife, sons and stepdaughters.

Staff Sergeant Justin Decrow joined the Army right after high school, married his high school sweetheart and had served as a light- wheeled mechanic and satellite communications operator. He was known as the optimist, a mentor, and a loving husband and father.

After retiring from the Army as a major, John Gaffaney cared for society's most vulnerable during two decades as a psychiatric nurse. He spent three years trying to return to active duty in this time of war and he was preparing to deploy to Iraq as a captain. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Specialist Frederick Greene was a Tennessean who wanted to join the Army for a long time and did so in 2008 with the support of his family. As a combat engineer, he was a natural leader and he is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Specialist Jason Hunt was also recently married with three children to care for. He joined the Army after high school. Did a tour in Iraq and it was there that he reenlisted for six more years on his 21st birthday so that he could continue to serve.

Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger was an athlete in high school, joined the Army shortly after 9/11, and had since returned home to speak to students about her experience. When her mother told her she couldn't take on Osama bin Laden by herself, Amy replied, "Watch me."

Private First Class Aaron Nemelka was an Eagle Scout who just recently signed up to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the service: defuse bombs, so that he could help save lives. He was proudly carrying on a tradition of military service that runs deep within his family.

Private First Class Michael Pearson, loved his family and loved his music, and his goal was to be a music teacher. He excelled at playing the guitar and could create songs on the spot and show others how to play. He joined the military a year ago and was preparing for his first deployment.

Captain Russell Seager, worked as a nurse for the V.A., helping veterans with post-traumatic stress. He had a respect for the military and signed up to serve so that he could help soldiers cope with the stress of combat and return to civilian life. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Private Francheska Velez, daughter of a father from Colombia and a Puerto Rican mother, had recently served in Korea and in Iraq, and was pursuing a career in the Army. When she was killed, she was pregnant with her first child and was excited about becoming a mother.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans. She was a single mom who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters. She also left behind a loving husband.

Private First Class Kham Xiong came to America from Thailand as a small child. He was a husband and father who followed his brother into the military because his family had a strong history of service. He was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

These men and women came from all parts of the country. Some had long careers in the military. Some had signed up to serve in the shadow of 9/11. Some had known intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some cared for those who didn't. Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity, the decency of those who serve -- and that's how they will be remembered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And our coverage of this memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, will continue right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: They have just wrapped up a very moving memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas. The president of the United States spoke -- spoke on behalf of all of America paying tribute to these 13 fallen heroes, and he brought with him all the memories, all the reflections that is -- that would be so appropriate on a day like today.

Barbara Starr, this is a president, as a new -- a relatively new commander-in-chief, who deeply appreciates what these men and women, these volunteers in the military do.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I think, Wolf, that is what we saw today. We saw the remembrance and the respect paid to the fallen of this terrible incident, but the broader respect and tribute paid to the entire U.S. military as we have talked about. This is a volunteer force. All of these people are here because they want to be, because they make a pledge to serve their country, to serve that motto of duty, honor and country. The Army will never forget what has happened here, but they will survive, and they will move on.

BLITZER: And, Candy, the president did point out -- these are trying times for the country, and he specifically mentioned what's going on in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: And words are being watched because he is on the verge of a -- well, now we're told a couple more weeks -- but on the verge of a big decision about the fate of many of the people listening to him in that audience and far beyond that, and that is -- will he need another round of service from these men and women and others to put more troops into Afghanistan? And I thought he very effectively did connect with -- did show that he did understand what was at stake here. I think, even in the reading of the individuals, when it was sort of -- here are individual stories, extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans, sort of typifying the whole military service.

Ronald Reagan used to have this line whenever he talked about the military that said where do we find such men? Well, now, where do we find such men and women? They are in the small towns of America, and where were these -- where were the deceased from: Cameron, Texas; Woodbridge, Virginia; Evans, Georgia.

So, I think he gave a very good picture of who these people are, who he will quite likely ask more sacrifice of.

BLITZER: Ad this is a military, Michael Gerson, not just men. There are women and they are in combat.

MICHAEL GERSON, FMR. BUSH SPEECHWRITER/AUTHOR: Oh, I agree with that, and this tragedy showed it. It demonstrated it, you know, in a very dramatic way. And I do believe the president began to lay the groundwork for future sacrifice in this speech. He talked not only, didn't -- he not only talked about Afghanistan and Pakistan, he talked about in the context of 9/11 -- 3,000 Americans dead. He said there's a continuing danger emanating from that region.

And so, I think this does set up his -- the decision that should be coming in the next few weeks, which is going to be controversial, and it's going to require all his rhetorical powers to sell.

BLITZER: John King, you're there. It's a very somber, quiet, almost eerie feeling, I take it, on this Fort Hood post.

KING: Wolf, the band has finished and most of the people have left the greens here. Still, some are paying their final tributes. It is, on the one hand, a sunny spectacular day at Fort Hood, and it is on the other, a very somber, respectful day of reflection as this community is still trying to come to grips with the tragedy that happened here just a few days ago, 13 of its own...

(CROSSTALK)

KING: ... gunned down on the post where they are supposed to feel most safe.

But a very moving memorial service here -- the commander of this base, the commanding general speaking. The chief of staff of the Army, General George Casey speaking and, of course, the president of the United States paying tribute individually to each of the 13 slain here last Thursday, and then also linking them to the much broader service of the Army, these past eight years of wars.

The president saying their legacy will be: every time a flag is unfurled, every time we celebrate our freedoms here in the United States, that will be the legacy of the 13 people slain here on this base -- 12 of them active duty, one a civilian, a retired military member. They come from 11 different states. They ranged in age from 19 to 62. Seven of the victims were under the age of 30. One of them was pregnant.

So, quite a remarkable tribute here. Our coverage of this event and the investigation, of course, will continue. And our coverage right now will continue with Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

BLITZER: John, thanks very much.