Text 4379, 88 rader
Skriven 2007-04-17 23:31:02 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0704171) for Tue, 2007 Apr 17
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President Bush Offers Condolences at Virginia Tech Memorial Convocation
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary April 17, 2007

President Bush Offers Condolences at Virginia Tech Memorial Convocation
Cassell Coliseum Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia

˙ Video (Windows) ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio ˙˙En Espa¤ol

˙˙˙˙˙ Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy at Virginia Tech ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus:
School Safety

2:36 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Governor, thank you. President Steger, thank you very much.
Students, and faculty, and staff, and grieving family members, and members
of this really extraordinary place.

Laura and I have come to Blacksburg today with hearts full of sorrow. This
is a day of mourning for the Virginia Tech community -- and it is a day of
sadness for our entire nation. We've come to express our sympathy. In this
time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are
thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been
affected.

Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed
their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark
turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and
dormitories -- confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the
morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American
history -- and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your
lives.

It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose
lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind
grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation.

In such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain us. And
in this moment of loss, you're finding these sources everywhere around you.
These sources of strength are in this community, this college community.
You have a compassionate and resilient community here at Virginia Tech.
Even as yesterday's events were still unfolding, members of this community
found each other; you came together in dorm rooms and dining halls and on
blogs. One recent graduate wrote this: "I don't know most of you guys, but
we're all Hokies, which means we're family. To all of you who are okay, I'm
happy for that. For those of you who are in pain or have lost someone close
to you, I'm sure you can call on anyone of us and have help any time you
need it."

These sources of strength are with your loved ones. For many of you, your
first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know that you
were okay. Others took on the terrible duty of calling the relatives of a
classmate or a colleague who had been wounded or lost. I know many of you
feel awfully far away from people you lean on and people you count on
during difficult times. But as a dad, I can assure you, a parent's love is
never far from their child's heart. And as you draw closer to your own
families in the coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for
sons and daughters who will never come home.

These sources of strength are also in the faith that sustains so many of
us. Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses
of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up
in prayer. People who have never met you are praying for you; they're
praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a
power in these prayers, real power. In times like this, we can find comfort
in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scriptures tell us,
"Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

And on this terrible day of mourning, it's hard to imagine that a time will
come when life at Virginia Tech will return to normal. But such a day will
come. And when it does, you will always remember the friends and teachers
who were lost yesterday, and the time you shared with them, and the lives
they hoped to lead. May God bless you. May God bless and keep the souls of
the lost. And may His love touch all those who suffer and grieve.
(Applause.)

END 2:45 P.M. EDT

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http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070417-1.html

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