Tucson Memorial Speech

I happened to flip over to Channel 6 (NBC) last night just in time for the introduction for President Obama at the Memorial Service for the victims of the shooting in Tucson, AZ last Saturday.

For those who don’t know, some mentally disturbed man went to a “meet & greet” event for the local congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford, and shot her in the head.  He then proceeded to shoot a number of other people, killing six, including a 9-year-old girl. He was tackled by people in the crowd and subsequently arrested. Congresswoman Gifford survived and, even though still in critical condition, is recovering.

I wasn’t planning on watching the memorial service.  I was just going to see a little of President Obama’s speech and then move on to watch something else.  But, within a minute of watching, I was entranced. It was an incredible speech.

That man has a gift. A true gift for public speaking. He gets a rhythm going, uses a certain cadence and just has the crowd hanging on his every word. It is like hearing a good preacher preach a sermon.

He didn’t just memorialize the victims. He did do that by mentioning them each by name and why they were special. But he also mentioned the ones who survived the shooting and some of the heroic things people did. And he was able to report, with Congresswoman Gifford’s husband’s permission that she had opened her eyes for the first time just a few hours earlier. At that point in the speech, I was so caught up in it that this news almost made me cry. What a joy to be able to report that!

One thing that really struck me during the speech, that was a little off-putting at first, was the applause. Not that President Obama invited it or encouraged it.  Rather it was entirely spontaneous and, at times, lifted the crowd to their feet. It seemed a little out of place at a memorial service but then it seemed appropriate. Instead of the service being engulfed in sadness, it became a joyful celebration of people’s lives. A sign that no one with evil intent can destroy the human spirit.

I think that this speech will be ranked up as one of President Obama’s top speeches. Something to be held up as an example of what to say to the nation in the event of a tragedy, how to comfort people when they have been terrorized, and how to be a leader that can unite this country rather than polarize it by blaming others for the state of things.

If you missed the speech, I hope you get the can either watch it at some point or read it.  I’m sure it is available on-line.  If not, just trust me, it was remarkable and brought comfort to so many people. Which is what the memorial service was all about. Now, hopefully, healing can begin.