here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? we're looking at live pictures of the washington navy yard where less than one week ago the gunman opened fire taking the lives of 12 innocent people. a memorial service for the victims is under way right now. moments from now president obama is expected to address the crowd. we just heard the invocation. we are getting ready to hear from the first speaker. let's listen in to this event in progress. >> to have served with the 12 great americans we mourn here today. they loved their country. they loved their navy. they loved the fleet.

the fleet they helped build and sustain. most of them dedicated their entire adult lives to building and sustaining our navy ships. as i mourned with the pandit family, i promised them that i would correct the reporting of this tragedy. the report was that no servicemen were killed. just civilians and contractors. and that is flat wrong. these patriots designed and built our ships. they sustained and set the standards for our ships. they connected us to each other and to the fleet. and they protected and sustained our headquarters. these 12 members of our navy

team, our navy family, were killed in the line of duty. they died in the service to our nation. the service to our navy. in service, they were just as committed to as any of us in uniform. for that service, we honor them. for that service, we will never forget them. i salute these american heroes.

good evening. last monday's horrific shootings at the navy yard were a tragedy for the nation, for the navy yard, and most importantly, for the loved ones of those lost and for those who suffered injuries. and it also was a tragedy here in the district of columbia. residents of our city lost friends and neighbors, mothers and fathers, colleagues and fellow church members. and our brave first responders joined their federal counterparts in doing their duty fearlessly and unselfishly. among those injured on monday

was one of our own metropolitan police officers. officer scott williams was one of the first to respond, and he was shot in both legs. his bravery is symbolic of countless other personnel from our metropolitan police department, our fire and emergency medical services and our federal and local public safety agencies who answered the call to duty without hesitation. we are reviewing their response to learn as many lessons as we can from this event. but there's one lesson that is already abundantly clear. our country is drowning in a sea of guns. one of monday's victims was a district resident whose family

already had been tragically touched by gun violence. arthur daniels was 51 years old. and that day the simple act of going to work, going to work in the morning, cost him his life. sadly, it was the price that his family had paid once before. his widow, priscilla, told me how their 14-year-old son was murdered just four years ago, shot in the back while running from an assailant. senseless gun violence like this is an all too everyday fact of life here in the district and in our nation's other big cities. but it's a fact of life which we must stop accepting. the navy yard, sandy hook,

aurora, virginia tech, columbine. the streets of our cities. why is it that every time we seem to let ourselves become -- to the horrific violence these places represent? why is it these tragic cgic con kwenss never seem to move us any closer to assuring that guns don't get into the hands of criminals or mentally unstable people? i don't know the answer. but i knew -- i do know this. that the time -- this time it happened within the view of our capitol dome. and i, for one, will not be silent about the fact that the time has come for action. thank you.

ladies and gentlemen, as admiral hilaride has indicated, our navy lost 12 teammates during monday's attack. these were members of our navy family. these were our shipmates. they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, going to work to provide for their families and serve their nation. the nature of our navy family is that we serve together and we depend on each other in times of need. we celebrate each other's successes and our triumphs and we grieve together in times of sorrow. now, these shipmates dedicated their careers to building and maintaining the finest navy in the world. they worked alongside one another for a purpose greater

than themselves. simply put, they are the best naval engineering team in the world. a team that designs, repairs, maintains our ships and submarines. they plan and manage budgets. and they research, design and build our future. this team is the genesis of the united states sea power. it all starts here. but above all else, they are part of the navy. and navy strength has been and will continue to be the resilience and endurance of our people during times of crisis. whether an attack on pearl harbor or more recently the bombing of the united states ship "cole," our legacy has been that our navy pulls together with resolve when tragedy strikes. members of our navy family demonstrated true courage at the

navy yard last week. it was apparent in the actions of, for example, a navy civilian shipmate who happened to be a former hospital corpsman as she carried out one of her fallen co-workers and performed cpr in an attempt to save his life. or the individual who ensured the safe evacuation of a blind co-worker. these are examples of what defines our navy family. i it's shipmates taking care of shipmates. we will remember the fallen and the events of last monday, and we will grow stronger as an institution. reinforcing our commitment to maintaining the world's finest navy. to the families here and to our navy yard shipmates, we mourn with you today. we will stand with you going forward in the difficult times ahead. we will remember your loved ones, and we will be with you.

god bless you, our navy, and the united states of america. thank you. as a military organization, we have experienced all too often the searing pain of combat losses. and honored the many who in lincoln's words have sacrificed their lives on the alter of freedom. today we honor 12 patriots who've made the same sacrifice in the service of their nation, this time here at home. we rightly set aside special days and solemn rituals to

recognize, remember and revere the men and women in uniform who have paid the final price in the defense of our freedoms. these nine men and three women deserve no less. their work and that of thousands of their civilian colleagues across this city and country is critical to our nation's security. without the civilians at naval sea systems command, we literally would not have a fleet to put to sea. and we could not operate ashore without the navy's facilitfacil engineering -- they're a critical part of the navy marine corps team, of the navy marine corps family. and we are family. uniform and civilian, we work together, serve together, overcome together. as a family, we grieve together.

together we will assure that they, like those who have gone before them, will be remembered and honored as heroes. because that is what they are. heroes. ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. an ordinary monday became a day of extraordinary horror. but also extraordinary heroism. as law enforcement officers and other first responders ran into danger to aid and protect others, as colleagues and strangers assisted each other away from danger even at the risk of their own lives. we memorialize as heroes those we lost and honor the heroes we have here today. the courage we witnessed on monday did not end with the closing on that awful day. on tuesday, people returned to their work. and by thursday, when much of the navy yard reopened,

thousands whose lives had been in real peril three days before would not let fear keep them away. still, we know it will take time for those with wounds, physical or invisible, to heal. the shock and anger of what occurred on monday will take us time to deal with. this act of evil defies comprehension. defies understanding. 12 wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, work mates, colleagues taken from us suddenly, violently, cruelly. but what can never be taken is the love and our memories. and we -- and as we remember these individuals we cherished, it should not be as victims.

their lives should not be defined by the terrible, inexplicable way they were ended. but rather how they lived and the rich legacies each of them left. and these are unique individuals. as i've spoken to their families and friends and common threads emerge, love of family and country. the value and pride placed on working for america and the values that others placed on their work and on their lives. today, one by one, we will hear their names and remember them and mourn. then they join so many other navy and marine corps heroes whose lives and deeds shine

forever bright. we remain semper fortus. semper fidelis. forever courageous. forever faithful. mr. president, mrs. obama, on behalf of the more than 3 million men and women the department of defense serving across the nation and all over the world, i want to express our deepest sympathy to the families here today. know that our thoughts and our prayers are with all of you. today we come together at this historic post to begin a long

road of healing and recovery. it is a past we walk together. we walk with the families, all who loved the fallen. to help ease the pain. hoping that grief and sadness will one day end, and cherished memories of those we loved so much will take their place. we walk with those injured and scarred by this senseless act of violence to help them regain their strength. hoping the horrors of last monday will soon recede. and together we will recover. we will remember the first responders. we will remember all the first responders who ran toward the sounds of gunfire. including officer scott williams, injured in the line of duty. we will remember the valor of the navy yard personnel. all the people in the building

197. and we will remember that in the face of tragedy, the united states navy is once again responding with resolve. as we remember the fallen, we also note the timeliness resilience of the institution that the victims were part of. that they so proudly supported. and the nation they so humbly served. god bless the families and the friends of those who we remember today. and god bless our country. secretary hagel, secretary

mabus, admirals grienet and hilarides, mayor gray, leaders from across this city and armed forces, to all the outstanding first responders, and most of all the families whose hearts have been broken, we cannot begin to comprehend your loss. we know that no words we offer today are equal to the magnitude, to the depths of that loss. but we come together as a grateful nation to honor your loved ones. to grieve with you. and to offer as best we can some

solace and some comfort. on the night that we lost martin luther king jr. to a gunman's bullet, robert kennedy stood before a stunned and angry crowd in indianapolis, and he broke the terrible news. and in the anguish of that moment, he turned to the words of an ancient greek poet, escalus. even in our sleep, pain which we cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of god.

pain, which cannot forget, drop by drop upon the heart. the tragedy and the pain that brings us here today is extraordinary. it is unique. the lives that were taken from us were unique. the memories their loved ones carry are unique. and they will carry them and endure long after the news cameras are gone. but part of what wears on as well is the sense that this has happened before. part of what wears on us, what troubles us so deeply as we gather here today is how this senseless violence that took place in the navy yard echoes

other recent tragedies. as president, i have now grieved with five american communities ripped apart by mass violence. ft. hood. tucson. aurora. sandy hook. and now the washington navy yard. and these mass shootings occur against a backdrop of daily tragedies. as an epidemic of gun violence tears apart communities across america. from the streets of chicago to neighborhoods not far from here. and so once again we remember our fellow americans who were just going about their day. doing their jobs. doing what they loved. in this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country

strong and our navy the finest fleet in the world. these patriots doing their work that they were so proud of and have now been taken away from us by unspeakable violence. once more, we come together to mourn the lives of beauty and to comfort the wonderful families who cherished them. once more, we pay tribute to all who rushed towards the danger, who risked their lives so others might live and who are in our prayers today, including officer scott williams. once more, our hearts are broken. once more, we ask why. once more, we seek strength and wisdom through god's grace. you and your families, this navy

family, are still in the early hour of your grief. and i'm here today to say that there is nothing routine about this tragedy. there's nothing routine about your loss. your loved ones will not be forgotten. they will endure in the hearts of the american people and in the hearts of the navy that they helped to keep strong. in the hearts of their co-workers and their friends and their neighbors. i want them to know how she lived, jessica gaarde said of her mother. she is not a number or some statistic. none of these 12 fellow americans are statistics. today i want every american to see how these men and women lived. you may have never met them, but

you know them. they're your neighbors. like arthur daniels, out there on the weekend polishing his white crown victoria. and kenneth proctor with his beloved yellow mustang, who if you asked, would fix your car, too. he was the friendly face at the store. sylvia frasier with her unforgettable gold hair who took a second job at walmart because she said she just loved working with people. she was the die hard fan you sat next to at the game. kathy gaarde loved her hockey and her caps. season ticketholder for 25 years. there were the volunteers who made your community better. frank kohler giving dictionaries to every third grader in his county. marty bodrog leading the children's bible study at church. they lived the american dream.

like pandit who left everything he knew in his oand dedicated ho the united states navy. proud veterans like gerald read who wore the uniform for 25 years. michael arnold who became one of the navy's leading architects of whom a colleague said, nobody knew those ships like him. they were dedicated fathers. like mike ridgell coaching his daughters' softball teams. joining facebook just to keep up with his girls. one of whom said he was always the cool dad. they were loving mothers. like mary francis knight. devoted to her daughters and who had just recently watched with joy as her older daughter got

married. they were doting grandparents like john johnson. always smiling, giving bear hugs to his ten grandchildren and who would have welcomed his 11th grandchild this fall. these are not statistics. they are the lives that have been taken from us. this is how far a single act of violence can ripple. a husband has lost his wife. wives have lost their husbands. sons and daughters have lost their moms and their dads. little children have lost their grandparents. hundreds in our communities have lost a neighbor. and thousands here have lost a friend. as has been mentioned for one family, the daniels family, old wounds are ripped open again.

priscilla's lost arthur, her husband of 30 years. only a few years ago, as mayor gray indicated, another shooting took the life of their son, just 14 years old. i can't believe this is happening again, priscilla says. these families have endured a shattering tragedy. it ought to be a shock to all of us as a nation and as a people. it ought to obsess us. it ought to lead to some sort of transformation. that's what happened in other countries when they experienced similar tragedies. in the united kingdom, in australia. when just a single mass shooting occurred in those countries, they understood that there was nothing ordinary about this kind

of carnage. they endured great heartbreak, but they also mobilized and they changed. and mass shootings became a great rarity. yet here in the united states, after the round the clock coverage on cable news, after the heartbreaking interviews with families, after all the speeches and all the punditry and all the commentary, nothing happens. alongside the anguish of these american families, alongside the accumulated outrage so many of us feel, sometimes i -- i fear there's a creeping resignation that these tragedies are just somehow the way it is. that this is somehow the new

normal. we can't accept this. as americans bound in grief and love, we -- we must insist here today, there is nothing normal about innocent men and women being gunned down where they work. there's nothing normal about our children being gunned down in their classrooms. there's nothing normal about children dying in our streets from stray bullets. no other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. none. here in america, the murder rate is three times what it is in other developed nations. the murder rate with guns is ten times what it is in other developed nations. and there's nothing inevitable about it. it comes about because of decisions we make or fail to

make. and it falls upon us to make it different. sometimes it takes an unaccepted voice to break through. to help remind us what we know to be true. and we heard one of those voices last week. dr. janice orlowski's team at med star hospital center treated the wounded. in the midst of one of her briefings she spoke with heartbreaking honestly, as somebody who sees daily and nightly the awful carnage of so much violence. we are a great country, she said. but there's something wrong. all these shootings, all these victims, she said, this is not america. it is a challenge to all of us, she said. and we have to work together to get rid of this. that's the wisdom we should be taking away from this tragedy.

and so many others. not accepting these shootings as inevitab inevitable, but asking what can we do to prevent them from happening again and again and again. i've said before, we cannot stop every act of senseless violence. we cannot know every evil that lucks in troubled minds. but if we can prevent even one tragedy like this, save even one life, spare other families what these families are going through, surely we've got an obligation to try. it's true that each of the tragedies i mentioned is different. and in this case, it's clear we need to do a better job of securing our military facilities. deciding who gets access to them. as commander in chief i've

ordered a review of procedures up and down the chain. i know that secretary hagel is moving aggressively on that. as a society it's clear we've got to do a better job of ensuring that those who need mental health care actually get it. and that in those efforts, we don't stigmatize those who need help. those things are clear and we've got to move to address them. but we americans are not an inherently more violent people than folks in other countries. we're not inherently more prone to mental health problems. the main difference that sets our nation apart, what makes us so susceptible to so many mass shootings, is that we don't do enough, we don't take the basic common sense actions, to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people.

what's different in america is it's easy to get your hands on a gun. and a lot of us know this. but the politics are difficult. as we saw again this spring. and that's sometimes where the resignation comes from. the sense that our politics are frozen and that nothing will change. well, i cannot accept that. i do not accept that we cannot find a common sense way to preserve our traditions, including our basic second amendment freedoms and the rights of law-abiding gun owners. while at the same time reducing the gun violence that unleashes so much mayhem on a regular basis. and it may not happen tomorrow, and it may not happen next week, may not happen next month, but it will happen. because it's the change that we need. and it's a change overwhelmingly

supported by the majority of americans. by now, though, it should be clear that the change we need will not come from washington. even when tragedy strikes washington. change will come the only way it ever has come. that's from the american people. so the question now is not whether as americans we care in moments of tragedy. clearly, we care. our hearts are broken again. and we care so deeply about these families. but the question is, do we care enough, do we care enough to keep standing up for the country that we know is possible, even if it's hard and even if it's politically uncomfortable? do we care enough to sustain the passion and the pressure to make

our communities safer and our country safer? do we care enough to do everything we can to spare other families the pain that is felt here today? our tears are not enough. our words and our prayers are not enough. if we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work and go to school and walk our streets free from senseless violence, without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we're going to have to change. we're going to have to change. on monday morning, these 12 men and women woke up like they did every day. they left home, and they headed

off to work. and gerald read's wife, kathy, said, see you tonight for dinner. and john johnson looked at his wife, judy, and said what he always said whenever they parted. good-bye, beautiful. i love you so much. even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of god. what robert kennedy understood, what dr. king understood, what all our great leaders have always understood is that wisdom does not come from tragedy alone or from some sense of resignation in the fallibility of man. wisdom comes through the recognition that tragedies such

as this are not inevitable. and that we possess the ability to act and to change and to spare others the pain that drops upon our hearts. so in our grief, let us seek that grace. let us find that wisdom. in doing so, let us truly honor these 12 american patriots. may god hold close the souls taken from us and grant them eternal peace. may he comfort and watch over these families. and may god grant us the strength and wisdom to keep safe our united states of america.

♪

♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for purple mountains' majesty above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪

♪ ♪ o beautiful for patriot dream ♪ ♪ that sees beyond the years ♪ thine alabaster cities gleam

amid thy human tears ♪ ♪ america, america, god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ america ♪ america

♪ america [ speaking in foreign language ] >> in the translation it says, hindu holy scripture, weapons cannot cut it, nor can fire burn it. water cannot wet it. nor can rain dry it. the second stanza. [ speaking in foreign language ]

>> it translates into, as a man sheds his worn out clothes, takes other new ones, likewise, the embodied soul casting off worn out bodies enters into other new bodies. a small prayer from hindu scripture. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> and this translates into, seeing from untruth, lead us to the truth. from darkness, leadto us to the light. from death, lead us into immortality. peace, peace, and peace. may the treasured souls of our

12 dear friends rest in peace. a reading from the letter to the romans. it is god who acquits us, who will condemn. it is christ jesus who died. yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of god. who, indeed, intercedes for us. what will separate us from the love of christ? will anguish or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or the sword? no. in all these things, we conquer

overwhelmingly through him who has loved us. for i am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of god in christ jesus, our lord. the word of the lord. >> would all of you join with me in praying and reading together from the ancient prayer book we know as the psalms?

this reading is from the 23rd psalm. will you read together with me? the lord is my shepherd. i shall not want. he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. he leadeth me beside the still waters. he restoreth my soul. he leadeth me in the paths of the righteousness for his name sake. though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil. for thou art with me. thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. thousand preparest a table before he in the presence of mine enemies. thou anointest my head with oil. my cup runeth over. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. and i will dwell in the house of

the lord forever. let us pray. almighty and eternal god, we have gathered today to honor our fallen colleagues who died while serving their nation. these who we regard as civilian sailors, as shipmates, were beloved fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. and they were our colleagues, our neighbors, our friends. as we remember them this day, we give thanks for what they have meant to us. for their love. for their courage. for their dedication to service to our navy, to our nation. we mourn their deaths, and we grieve, and we miss them

terribly. and even as we grieve, we are also thankful for those who responded in the face of terrifying violence. for those who strove to end it. for those who gave medical assistance. for those who lent a helping hand or put an arm around the shoulder, we give thanks. gracious lord, you heal the brokenhearted. you bind up their wounds. we commend to your care the families and the friends of those whom we have lost. the psalmist reminds us that we are not alone. whether we ascend to the heights or descend to the depths or take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utter most parts of the sea, even there your hand

shall lead us. if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death itself, your right hand shall hold us. so we ask you, hold us now. comfort each one of us with the great power of your love. and in our grief and our confusion, give us light to guide us into the assurance of your love. we pray this in your holy name. amen. would you please rise as we recall the names of those whom we have lost? and please remain standing for the navy hymn and for taps. following taps, please remain in place for the departure of president and mrs. obama and the

families. these are our fallen colleagues. michael wells arnold. arnold. [ bell tolls ] >> martin john bodrog. [ bell tolls ] >> argument ur larthur lee dani. sylvia lorain frasier, kathy gaarde. john roger johnson. mary francis knight. frank edwin kohler.

vishnu keshan pandit. kenneth bernard proctor. gerald eugene read. and richard michael ridgell. [ bell tolls ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ [ taps ]

♪ [ taps ] ♪ [ taps ]

we're watching live coverage of the navy yard memorial. the event is just concluding. you can see president obama going row to row, person to person, hugging and consoling the family members of the victims who were lost. of course, this event was to honor the 12 victims who were killed in last week's mass shooting. it was a memorial service for the fallen who were killed in that senseless act of violence. we did hear remarks from the president, very strong remarks from the president, calling for gun control and offering his condolences to the families of those lost in this shooting. daniel hernandez, who

unfortunately has firsthand experience with this terrible issue of gun violence. more than two years ago, he was an intern in gabby giffords congressional office and he was in tucson the day gabby giffords was shot and six others were killed. also with us today, someone else with firsthand experience, shot four times in the massacre at virginia tech. three of those bullets are still in his spine. he works with a group started by mayor michael bloomberg, mayors against guns. thank you. we want to start with you. the loss of life, being on the other side of this, being someone who has been impacted by a tragedy like this firsthand, what are these family members going through right now, less than one week since this tragedy took place? >> you know, it's impossible to be able to explain to someone who has not suffered this

tragedy what they're going through right now. the emotions are just overwhelming. but i think one of the things that the president really hit on is the fact that they are not unfortunately because of the amount of gun violence in this country, there's a network of survivors and people that have gone through the same set of experiences from newtown to oak creek to tucson. it's a heartbreaking one for them but unfortunately it's happening all too often throughout the country and people are having to share emotions over and over again. vincent gray really hit the nail on the head when he said we need to stop accepting gun violence as a reality in this country and need to do something about it. >> colin, you faced the sheer terror of coming face to face with a gunman. what do you think when you see

the president comforting these family members and the words he used to console them? >> i thought it was moving what the president said and, frankly, all the speakers. they really hit home that these were not statistics. these were americans. these were us. these were people that just had one of their children get married, people who loved playing with their grandkids, who loved polishing the classic car. people who went to work one morning and were shot and killed. people who lived the american dream and died the american nightmare because our culture and congress failed them. >> i'm curious as to your thoughts on gun control. there were a lot of thoughts as to how far the president was going to go in calling for renewed efforts and he made very strong remarks toward that end. what did you think that he had to say in keeping the push going in changing our laws and common sense measures as he calls them. >> there are common sense

measures, bills literally sitting on desks and in congress that is doing nothing with them. during the debates and effort that went on after the shooting in newtown, president obama gave us the refrain, we deserve a vote. we want to know how our members of the senate put on and thought about the idea of a background check. we haven't had a subcommittee hearing in the house of representatives and all of us in the country deserve to know how our members of the house of representatives feel on this issue. the president is still 100% behind us, still talks about this issue. understands that the people are there with him and now we need to come together to close that disconnect with us. >> this time i want to bring in two more of my guests, karen finney, host of msnbc's "disrupt" and goldie taylor, msnbc contributor and goldie is also a military vet, former marine. thank you both for being here. i want to start with you, karen.

the president had very strong remarks about gun control and we'll play some of those on the other side. let's listen to what he had to say. >> these families have endured a shattering tragedy. it ought to be a shock to all of us. as a nation and as a people. it ought to upset us. it ought to lead to some sort of transformation. that's what happen in other countries when they experience similar tragedies. in the united kingdom, in australia. when just a single mass shooting occurred in those countries, they understood that there was nothing ordinary about this kind of carnage. they endured great heartbreak, but they also mobilized and they changed. and mass shootings became a great