President Barack Obama gives speech at moving memorial of Fort Hood victims (video)

November 11, 1:41 AMUS Headlines ExaminerCindy Adams

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President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial services at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. In the foreground is a photo of Sgt. Amy S. Krueger. (AP Photo)

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama gave a moving speech to a crowd of thousands at a memorial to honor the victim's of Fort Hood's shooting spree. All were there to mourn the loss of 13 innocent people who were killed on the Texas Army base at the hands of a gunman who senselessly took their lives. 

To see photos of the victims, click here.

In front of the dais from where the president spoke were photos of the fallen in front of 13 pairs of combat boots, a military weapon, and a soldier's helmet.

The victims’ relatives were seen embraced one another during the ceremony—many were unable to control their grief.

The memorial was open to the public and many in the area flocked to Fort Hood to honor the victims' memories.

A Killeen, Tex. resident, Samuel Fleming, Jr., 45, showed up “to reflect, to mourn with them a little bit today,” according to the Washington Post. He said, “You’re losing people who had their whole lives ahead of them. They were randomly gunned down… That hurts. They were the best of the best.”

An Iraq war veteran, Cheryl Rush, 34, arrived hours before the memorial began at 1 p.m. The Post reports she was puzzled as to why an Army psychiatrist may have committed such a heinous act. “Maybe it is stressful to be a Muslim in this society, but why kill so many people?” she asked. “It was totally unnecessary and it breaks my heart.”

Rush added, “We go to Iraq, we’re safe and sound, we’re all in one piece, and we have to deal with something like this at our post… It was totally unexpected.”

After President Obama spoke, a female sang an emotional rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

See President Barack Obama’s Fort Hood memorial speech below:

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