deputy secretary fox; generaldempsey; secretary mchugh; generals odierno and milley;and most of all, thefamilies of the soldiers who have been taken from us; the wounded -- thosewhohave returned to duty and those still recovering; and the entire community offort hood,this “great place”: it islove, tested by tragedy, that brings us together again.
it was love for country thatinspired these three americans to put on the uniform and jointhe greatest armythat the world has ever known. sergeantfirst class daniel ferguson.staffsergeant carlos lazaney-rodriguez. sergeant timothy owens.
and danny and carlos joined twodecades ago, in a time of peace, and stayed as the nationwent to war. timothy joined after 9/11, knowing he couldbe sent into harm’s way. betweenthem,they deployed nine times. each served iniraq. danny came home from afghanistanjustlast year. they lived those shiningvalues -- loyalty, duty, honor -- that keep us strong and free.
it was love for the army thatmade them the soldiers they were. fordanny, said his fiancée,being in the army “was his life.” carlos, said a friend, was “the epitome ofwhat you would wanta leader to be in the army.” timothy helped counsel his fellowsoldiers. said a friend, “he wasalwaysthe person you could go talk to.”
and it was love for theircomrades, for all of you, that defined their last moments. as we’veheard, when the gunman tried to pushhis way into that room, danny held the door shut, savingthe lives of otherswhile sacrificing his own. and it’s saidthat timothy -- the counselor, eventhen -- gave his life, walking toward thegunman, trying to calm him down.
for you, their families, no wordsare equal to your loss. we are here onbehalf of theamerican people to honor your loved ones and to offer whatevercomfort we can. but know this:we also draw strength from you. for even in your grief, even as your heartbreaks, we see inyou that eternal truth: “love never ends.”
to the parents of these men -- asa father, i cannot begin to fathom your anguish. but iknow that you poured your love and yourhopes into your sons. i know that themen and soldiersthey became -- their sense of service and their patriotism --so much of that came from you.you gaveyour sons to america, and just as you will honor them always, so, too, will thenationthat they served.
to the loves of their lives --timothy’s wife billy and danny’s fiancée kristen -- these soldierscherishedthe army, but their hearts belonged to you. and that’s a bond that no earthly powercan ever break. they have slipped from your embrace, but knowthat you will never be alone.becausethis army and this nation stands with you for all the days to come.
to their children -- we live in adangerous world, and your fathers served to keep you safeand us safe. they knew you have so much to give ourcountry; that you’d make them proud.timothy’s daughter lori already has. last wednesday night, she posted this message online: “ijust wanteveryone to think for a moment.” loveyour family, she said, “because you never knowwhen [they’re] gonna be takenfrom you. i love you, daddy.”
and to the men and women of forthood -- as has already been mentioned, part of whatmakes this so painful isthat we have been here before. thistragedy tears at wounds still rawfrom five years ago. once more, soldiers who survived foreignwarzones were struck down hereat home, where they’re supposed to be safe. we still do not yet know exactly why, but wedoknow this: we must honor their lives,not “in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.”
we must honor these men with arenewed commitment to keep our troops safe, not just inbattle but on the homefront, as well. in our open society, andat vast bases like this, we cannever eliminate every risk. but as a nation, we can do more to helpcounsel those with mentalhealth issues, to keep firearms out of the hands ofthose who are having such deep difficulties.as a military, we must continue to do everything in our power to secureour facilities and spareothers this pain.
we must honor these men by doingmore to care for our fellow americans living withmental illness, civilian andmilitary. today, four american soldiersare gone. four army familiesaredevastated. as commander-in-chief, i’mdetermined that we will continue to step up ourefforts -- to reach our troopsand veterans who are hurting, to deliver to them the care that theyneed, andto make sure we never stigmatize those who have the courage to seek help.
and finally, we must honor thesemen by recognizing that they were members of ageneration that has borne theburden of our security in more than a decade of war. now ourtroops are coming home, and by theend of this year our war in afghanistan will finally be over.
in an era when fewer americansknow someone in uniform, every american must see thesemen and these women --our 9/11 generation -- as the extraordinary citizens that they are.they love their families. they excel at their jobs. they serve their communities. they areleaders. and when we truly welcome our veterans home,when we show them that we need them-- not just to fight in other countries,but to build up our own -- then our schools and ourbusinesses, our communitiesand our nation will be more successful, and america will bestronger and moreunited for decades to come.
sergeant first class danielferguson. staff sergeant carloslazaney-rodriguez. sergeanttimothyowens. like the 576 fort hood soldierswho have given their lives in iraq andafghanistan, they were taken from usmuch too soon. like the 13 americans welost five yearsago, their passing shakes our soul. and in moments such as this, we summon oncemore whatwe’ve learned in these hard years of war. we reach within our wounded hearts. we lean on eachother. we hold each other up. we carry on. and with god’s amazing grace, we somehow bearwhat seems unbearable.
“love bears all things, believesall things, hopes all things, endures all things. love neverends.” may god watch over these american soldiers,may he keep strong their families whoselove endures, and may god continue tobless the united states of america with patriots such asthese.
