♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts

we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪

>> to begin the program, please welcome the mayor of dallas, mike rawlings. [ applause ] >> please be seated. good afternoon. welcome. at 8:58 p.m., five days ago, the soul of our city was pierced when police officers were ambushed in a cowardly attack. in the days that followed, we have searched a massive crime scene, we have sobbed and paid tribute at a growing memorial at the police headquarters. we prayed together at

thanksgiving square. we lit candles to honor the lives of our five heroes. today, we open our cities doors to our friends and to our neighbors. we realize that our pain is your pain. you want to do what we want to do, honor the lives of these five officers. lorne ahrens, michael krol, michael smith, brent thompson, patrick szamarripa. on behalf of our cities, we want to say thank you and thank you for accepting our invitation. some of you have traveled from across our state and some from across our country. i want to recognize my fellow mayors from out of state for

being here on such short notice. oklahoma city mayor, mick coronet. new orleans mayor, columbia mayor, steven benjamin, louisville mayor, greg fisher. thank you. thank you to my friend, ft. worth mayor, betsy price. to the state's first lady cecilia abbott and daughter here on behalf of governor greg abbott. to governor jay nixson and governor martinez of new mexico. and to our congressmen and women. you represent elected officials and your citizens across the country who have reached out to me in recent days and who weren't able to make it here today, whose cities and states have also been scarred by

violence. congresswoman johnson, senator cornyn, senator cruz, these men and women are here with us because they know we have a common disease, this absurd violence on our streets. those that will help us fight it are men and women in blue. our peacemakers in blue. they have died for that cause. that is why, today, we reserve five seats for the men we lost on thursday night. we offer our gratitude to you, our cops, including those who have traveled here to support your brothers and sisters in the dallas police department, the dallas area rapid transit police and the el centro college police force. ladies and gentlemen, thank you. thank you for coming. [ applause ]

>> most importantly, it is our purpose today to bring comfort to you. the families who are represented by those empty seats. we love you. we will never forget you. we also honor those who came close to death that night and who were wounded, not only in the body but in the soul. may you never be forgotten as well. we understand that dallas' pain is a national pain, that is why i want to say thank you to president obama and first lady

mrs. obama, vice president biden and dr. biden, and to two of our most distinguished citizens of dallas, president bush and laura bush, for coming to help us heal these wounds. to wage this battle against violence and separatism, today must be about unity. unity among faiths, unity among police and citizens and, yes, unity among politicians. in recent days, i have seen unity, even before that tragedy when police and protesters mingle peacefully. i have seen unity when the protesters came out in support of the police after the days of this tragedy. i see unity today with the arlington police and the texas dps officers step up to relieve

our exhausted police officers. this interfaith choir behind me come from six churches across our city. these three religious leaders will pray in a few minutes in a show of unity. i believe you will hear words of unity from other speakers, the senior senator from texas, john cornyn, president bush, police chief david brown and president obama. the past few days have been some of the darkest in our city's histories, there's no question about that. as we bury these men in the coming days, it will not get easier, i know. but there's nothing like a

crisis that forces one to take pause of your life and your city's life. and if you are from out of town, i hope you will forgive me for a moment, i want to speak to my fellow dallas people. i have searched hard in my soul of late to discover what mistakes we have made. i have asked, why us? and in my moments of self-doubt, i discovered the truth. that we did nothing wrong. in fact, dallas is very, very good. our police are among the best in the country. i am in awe of our dallas police officers. [ applause ]

>> we set the standard where policing can both be strong and smart. where men die for the rights that this country was built on. in short, i have never been more proud of my city, our city. while we did nothing wrong, there is a reason this happened here, this place, this time in american history. this is our chance to lead and build a new model for a

community, for a city, for our country. to do that, there will be tough times ahead. we will mourn together. and together is the keyword here. we may be sad, but we will not dwell in self-pity. we may weep but we will never whine. for we have too much work to be done. we have too many bridges to build that we will cross together. this i know, this i know will happen. thank you. [ applause ]

>> let every head be bowed, every eye closed as we go to god in prayer. god of our wary years, god of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far on the way, lord, our hearts are heavy, our spirits are torn and tears flow from our eyes. and we come to you, oh god, because you are the rock in the wearry land. you are the shelter in the time of storm and, god, you are uniquely qualified to come see about your people from genesis to revelations, you have helped and healed and mended and molded. right now, oh god, we salute the five slain dallas police officers who died protecting and serving this community. we honor their sacrifice and commitment, surround their families and loved ones with your holy ghost power. cover the entire dallas police

department with your grace and your mercy. and, lord, keep your hands of every lasting love on our chief, david brown, as he leads with dignity and determination. god, your word says all things work together for good. we can't see that right now but we'll trust you when we can't trace ya. lord, your word says weeping men do it for a night, but joy comes in the morning. right now, it's still dark, but we are going hold on to your unchanging hand. yes, there will be lingering affects from thursday's ambush. there is terror, anxiety and dispair. but, in the mighty and matchless name of jesus christ, we will keep on, we will press on, we will love on, we will live on. shadow belief that hand, may we forever stand, true to our god

and true to america. let the church say amen. >> amen. >> in the name of god, the most compassionate, most merciful, may his blessings be on the profits and those in their path. today, our city is heart broken. our country is soul searching and, we, as individuals are forever in need of your guidance and protection. we ask you to look upon us today to guide us to live our lives in ways that are most pleasing to you. we ask you to put peace in our hearts that we may spread it to all of those around us. we ask you to protect us from being people of injustice that we may purify the world of it. as we ask you, we recognize that it is up to us to say, you did not create us for bigotry or

vengeance. you did not create us to dominate or oppress one another. you did not create us for war. we are not the ones to judge who should live and who should die. so, today we stand before you in humility and in determination, ready to pursue the peace, justice and equality that you demand of us. ready to stand-up against all the evil that threatened to destroy the goodness in your creation. ready to stand-up against oppression in any name, for any cause, from any position and against any of your creation. we ask that your love would comfort those who mourn their loved ones today. that their memory would flood their families with joy. that the children of our fallen officers and all of those who have lost their lives to senseless violence are molded in the love that we express today, not in the hatred that claim the lives of their fathers.

we ask the voices that seek to devid us are drown out by the chorus that say you will not pin us against one another. we choose to live by the hope you have instilled within us, not the fears that others manufacture amongst us. with that, we pray to you, the one god of noah, abraham, moses, jesus, mohammed and us all for one dallas, one america and one world. amen. [ applause ] >> dear friends, together we are here opening our hearts and our souls to the god of compassion, as the simple human beings that we are. as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, all children of the heavenly parent, all created in the divine image and all here

today to pray for healing for wisdom for strength and for peace. in this moment of sadness and pain, we look to the heavens knowing, as the poet once said, there are stars up above so far away we only see their light, long after the star itself is gone. and so it is with the people that we love, their memories keep shining ever brightly, though the time with us is done. but the stars that light up the darkest night, these are the stars that guide us as we live our days, these are the ways we remember. as we live our days, we remember brent thompson, patrick zamarripa, michael rol, lorne ahrens and michael smith. they will be remembered as

shining lights of bravery, dedication to our city, kindness and compassion as we live our days, we will never forget their sacrifice. as our city is still reeling from the violence of only a few short days ago, we besiege you oh god, healer of the broken hearted with the words of moses as he prayed for healing with his sister miriam. please god, heal her. so we pray to the families of our fallen dallas police officers, and dallas area regional air that transit police officers, we pray, please god, heal them as we ask for your healing power to surround them and their loved ones in this, their time of need with hope, with strength and with love. to those who survived the violence, but will always bear the burden of scars and memory,

we pray, please, god, heal them, and bring to their bodies and souls the wholeness and completeness they seek. to our elected officials and police and first responders, into whose hands we place our lives, we pray, please, god, heal them as we know they hurt along with us and bring to them, oh god, the wisdom and courage necessary to make the permanent peace we seek. and to those of us who are scared and afraid, angry and confused, in our city and in our country, we pray, please, god, heal us as we ask for your healing power to heal us once and forall, from the illness of violence, of hatred and indifference that plagues us every single day.

god, you, who must workdayly to make peace throughout the heavens, we ask you this day to give us the courage and strength to help us make peace here on earth for everyone, every single day and together we say, amen. >> amen. ♪ ♪

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>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome senator john cornyn. [ applause ] >> i know i speak for everyone here and around the country, expressing my profound gratitude to mayor rawlings, chief brown and the entire dallas and d.a.r.t. police departments. [ applause ] >> we thank you for your strength and the grace you have shown in these trying hours. chief, i particularly like the way you put it yesterday when you said, simply, that dallas

loves. it is my solemn privilege to join the people of dallas, all across the state of texas and the entire country in honoring these men of uncommon courage. several years ago in the aftermath of another tragedy, the shocking explosion in west texas, a local official told me something that sticks with me even to this day. he said being a texan doesn't describe where you are from, it describes who your family is. so, today, our family, and this great nation shares the grief of dallas. i want to thank president obama, first lady, michelle obama, vice president biden and dr. jill

biden for honoring us with your presence here today. [ applause ] >> in times of darkness, when it's hard to hold on to hope, we must remember these men, along with their fellow officers were not ultimately overcome by evil. noah's scripture directs us, i believe they chose to confront evil and overcome it with good. they overcame evil by running toward the sound of the gunfire. they overcame evil by shielding their fellow citizens from the spray of bullets. they overcame evil by sacrificing their own lives so

that others could live. i believe that because of their example to all of us, the city of dallas shall overcome the evil from that day. amidst our profound sadness, we remember these officers for putting the people of dallas before themselves and in their final moments, serving others, protecting this city and loving this community as they did. today, we join millions across our state and country who continue to lift up these families, friends and fellow officers in our prayers as well as those recovering from their wounds. in the aftermath of another life altering event, on september 11th, 2001, president george w.

bush inspired all of us in speaking of how this nation has always responded to evil with powerful courage and deep concern for one another. so, once again, we gather as one nation under god, yes to believe, but then to rise up and continue to fight the good fight, to finish the race and to keep the faith. ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to welcome to the podium, the 43rd president of the united states, part of our texas family and a man who, along with his bride, laura, proudly call this community their home. president george w. bush. [ applause ] >> thank you.

thank you, senator. i, too, am pleased that president obama and mrs. obama have come down to dallas. i want to welcome vice president mr. biden. chief brown, elected officials and members of the law enforcement community. today, the nation grieves, but those of us who love dallas and call it home have had five deaths in the family. laura and i see members of law enforcement every day. we count them as our friends. and we know, like every other american, their courage is our protection and shield. we are proud the men we mourn and the community that has rallied to honor them and support the wounded.

our mayor, police chief and police department have been mighty inspirations for the rest of the nation. [ applause ] >> these slain officers were the best among us. lorne ahrens, beloved husband to detective katrina ahrens and fathder of two. michael krol, caring, brother, uncle, nephew and friend. michael smith, u.s. army vete n veteran, husband and devoted father of two. brent thompson, marine corps vet, recently married. patrick zamarripa, father and loyal texas rangers fan. [ applause ]

with their deaths we have lost so much. we are grief stricken, heart broken and forever grateful. every officer has accepted a calling that sets them apart. most of us imagine if the moment called for that we would risk our lives to protect a spouse or a child. those wearing a uniform assume that risk for the safety of strangers. they and their family share the unspoken knowledge that each new day can bring new dangers, but none of us were prepared or could be prepared for an ambush by hatred and malice. the shock of this evil still has not faded. at times, it seems like the forces pulling us apart are

stronger than the forces binding us together. argument turns too easily into animosi animosity. disagreement escalates into dehumanization. too often, we judge other groups by their worse examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions. and this is -- [ applause ] >> -- and this strained our bonds of understanding and common purpose. but americans have a great advantage. to renew our unity, we only need to remember our values. we have never been held together by blood or background. we are bound by things of the spirit, by shared commitments to common ideals. at our best, we practice empathy, imagining ourselves in

the lives and circumstances of others. this is the bridge across our nation's deepest divisions. it's not merely a matter of tolerance, but of learning from the struggles and stories of fellow citizen zs and finding our better selves in the process. we honor the image of god we see in one another. we recognize that we are brothers and sisters, sharing the same brief moment on earth and knowing each other the loyalty of our shared humanity. at our best, we know we have one country, one future, one destiny. we do not want the unity of grief nor do we want the unity of fear. we want the unity of hope, affection and high purpose. we know that the kind of just, humane country we want to build, that we have seen in our best

dreams, is made possible when men and women in uniform stand guard. at their best, when they are trained and trusted and accountable, they free us from fear. the apostle paul said for god gave us a spirit not of fear, but strength and love and self-control. those are the best responses to fear in the life of our country. and they are the code of the peace officer. today, all of us feel a sense of loss but not equally. i would like to conclude with the word of the families, the spouses and especially the children of the fallen. your loved ones time with you was too short. they did not get a chance to properly say good-bye, but they went where duty called. they defended us, even to the end. they finished well. we will not forget what they did

for us. your loss is unfair. we cannot explain it. we can stand beside you and share your grief and we can pray that god will comfort you with a hope deeper than sorrow and stronger than death. make god bless you. [ applause ] >> leadership is hard, great leadership is very unique. we experience that leadership

this week with the chiefs of our d.a.r.t. and dpd offices. i want to say thanks to d.a.r.t. chief, james skuller for what you have done. [ applause ] >> i want to also introduce a man whose given his life to the city of dallas, the 28th chief

of police, over 30 years on the force, a native of south oak cliff. [ applause ] >> a man -- [ applause ] >> -- a man that i call a friend but more importantly, he is my rock. he represents not only dallas but police officers, police

chiefs, this higher calling across the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, chief david brown. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you so much. thank you so much. when i was a teenager and

started liking girls -- [ laughter ] >> -- i could never find the right words to express myself. and after a couple words, they would just walk away leaving me figuring out what do i need to do to get a date. so, being a music fan of 1970s, rhythm and blues love songs, i put together a strategy to recite the lyrics to get a date. so, for girls i liked, i would pull out some al green or some teddy pendergrass or isaac brothers and i would recite the lyrics to their love songs. but for people i loved rksz ed

fell for a girl, i had to dig down deep and get some stevie wonder. to fully express the love i had for the girl. so, today, i'm going to pull out some stevie wonder for these families. [ applause ] >> so, families, close your eyes and imagine me back in 1974 with an afro and bell bottoms and wide collar. we all know sometimes life's hate and troubles can make you wish you were born in another time and place.

but you can bet your lifetimes that in twice its double that god knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed. so, make sure when you say you are not in it but not of it, you are not having to make this earth a place sometimes called hell. change your words into truth and then change that truth into love. maybe your children's grandchildren and their great, great grandchildren will tell th them, i'll be loving you until the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky, i'll be loving you. until the ocean covers every mountain high, i'll be loving you. until the dolphin flies, and the parrots live at the sea, i'll be

loving you. until we dream of life and life becomes a dream, i'll be loving you. until the day is night and night becomes the day, i'll be loving you. until the trees and seas, up, up and fly away, i'll be loving you. until the day that eight times eight times eight times eight is four, i'll be loving you until the day that is the day that are no more, i'll be loving you. until the day the earth starts turning right to left, i'll be loving you. until the earth, just for the sun, denies itself, i'll be loving you. until mother nature says her work is through, i'll be loving you. until the day you are me and i am you. now ain't that loving you? [ applause ]

>> until the rainbow burns, the stars out of the sky, ain't that loving you? until the ocean covers every mountain high, and i've got to say, always, i'll be loving you always. and there's no greater love than this that these five men gave their lives for all of us. it is my honor to introduce to you the president of the united states of america, president barack obama. thank you. [ applause ]

>> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. to president and mrs. bush, my friend, the vice president and dr. biden, mayor rawlings, chief spiller, clergy, members of congre congress, chief brown, i'm so glad i met michelle first because she loves stevie wonder. [ laughter ]

>> most of all, to the families and friends, and colleagues and fellow officers. scripture tells us that in our sufferings there is glory. because we know that suffering produces perseverance.

perseverance, character. and character hope. sometimes the truths of these words are hard to see. right now, those words test us. because the people of dallas, people across the country are suffering. we are here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow americans. to grieve with their loved ones. to support this community. to pray for the wounded and to try and find some meaning amidst our sorrow.

for the men and women who protect and serve the people of dallas, last thursday began like any other day. like most americans, each day you get up, probably have too quick a breakfast. kiss your family good-bye and you head to work. but your work and the work of police officers across the country is like no other. for the moment, you put on that uniform, you have answered a call that at any moment, even in the briefest interaction, may put your life in harm's way.

lorne ahrens, he answered that call. so did his wife, katrina. not only because she was the spouse of a police officer but because she's a detective on the force. they have two kids. lorne took them fishing. he used to proudly go to their school in uniform. the night before he died, he bought dinner for a homeless man. the next night, katrina had to tell their children that their dad was gone. they don't get it yet, their grandma said. they don't know what to do quite yet. michael krol answered that call.

his mother said he knew the dangers of the job, but he never shied away from his duty. he came 1,000 miles from his home state of michigan to be a cop in dallas, telling his family, this is something i wanted to do. last year, he brought his girlfriend back to detroit for thanksgiving. it was the last time he'd see his family. michael smith answered that call. in the army and over almost 30 years working for the dallas police association, which gave him the appropriately named cops cop award. a man of deep faith. when he was off duty, he could be found at church or playing softball with his two girls.

today, his girls have lost their dad. for god has called michael home. patrick zamarripa, he answered that call. just 32, a former alter boy who served in the navy and dreamed of being a cop. he liked to post videos of himself and his kids on social media. on thursday night, while patrick went to work, his partner, kristi, posted a photo of her and their daughter at a texas rangers game. she tagged her partner so he could see it while on duty. brett thompson answered that call. he served his country as a marine. years later, as a contractor, he spent time in some of the most dangerous parts of iraq and

afghanistan. then a few years ago, he settled down here in dallas for a new life of service as a transit cop. just about two weeks ago he married a fellow officer. their whole life together waiting before them. like police officers across the country, these men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves. they weren't looking for their names to be up in lights. they'd tell you the pay was decent, but wouldn't make you rich. they could have told you about the stress and long shifts. they probably agree with chief brown when he said that cops don't expect to hear the words thank you very often.

especially from those who need them the most. no, the reward comes in knowing that our entire way of life in america depends on the rule of law. that the maintenance of that law is a hard and daily labor. that, in this country, we don't have soldiers in the streets or militias setting the rules. instead, we have public servants, police officers, like the men who were taken away from us. and that's what these five were doing last thursday. when they were assigned to protect and keep orderly a peaceful protest in response to the killing offalton sterling of

baton rouge and castile of minnesota. they were upholding the constitutional rights of this country. for a while, the protest went on without incident. despite the fact that police conduct was the subject of the protest, despite the fact that their must have been signs or slogans or chants with which they profoundly disagreed. these men and this department did their jobs like the professionals they were. in fact, the police had been part of the protest planning. dallas pd posted photos on their twitter feeds, there are officers standing among the

protesters. two officers, black and white, smiled next to a man with a sign that read, no justice, no peace. then, around 9:00, the gunfire came. another community torn apart. more hearts broken. more questions about what caused and what might prevent another such tragedy. i know that americans are struggling right now with what we have witnessed over the past week. first, the shootings in minnesota and baton rouge, the protests. then the targeting of police by the shooter here.

an act not just of demented violence, but of racial hatred. all of it left us wounded and angry. and hurt. this is the deepest fault lines of our democracy that have suddenly been exposed, perhaps widened. we know such divisions are not new, though they have surely been worse, that offers us little comfort. faced with this violence, we wonder if the divides of race in america can ever be bridged. we wonder if an african-american community that feels unfairly targeted by police and police department that is feel unfairly maligned for doing their jobs can ever understand each other's

experience. we turn on the tv, we surf the internet and we can watch positions harden and lines drawn. people retreat to their respective corners. politicians calculate how to grab attention or avoid the fallout. we see all this and it's hard not to think sometimes that the center won't hold and things might get worse. i understand. i understand how americans are feeling. but, dallas, i'm here to say, we must reject such despair. i'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. i know that because i know america. i know how far we have come

against impossible odds. [ applause ] >> i know we'll make it because of what i have experienced in my own life. what i have seen of this country and its people, their goodness and decency as president of the united states. and i know it because of what we have seen here in dallas. how all of you, out of great suffering have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character and hope. when the bullets started flying, the men and women of the dallas police, they did not flinch. and they did not react

recklessly. they showed incredible restraint. helped in some cases by protesters, they evacuated, isolated the shooter, saved more lives than we will ever know. [ applause ] >> we mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions. [ applause ] >> everyone was helping each other, one witness said. it wasn't about black or white. everyone was picking each other up and moving them away. see, that's the america