Obama: Victims' legacy is U.S. security

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The legacy of the 13 people killed when a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, is the security of the United States, President Obama said Tuesday.

"Your loved ones endure through the life of our nation," Obama said during a memorial service for the 13 men and women. "Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life's work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that is their legacy."

That the three women and 10 men died in the United States instead of on a foreign battlefield "makes the tragedy more painful and even more incomprehensible, Obama said.

While at Fort Hood, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama met with families who lost loved ones and visited the injured in the hospital.

"Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity and the decency of those who serve, and that is how they will be remembered," Obama told family members, military personnel and dignitaries attending the service.

Obama's remarks come as he is deciding revising the country's strategy in Afghanistan, including sending more troops and whether to send more troops.

"These are trying times for this country" as extremists in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere try to destroy America's core values, he said.

"It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy," Obama said. "But this much we do know -- no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor.

"And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice -- in this world, and the next," Obama said.

Noting that Wednesday is Veterans Day, Obama said, "History is field with heroes ... But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us -- every single American -- must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before."

"We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes," he said. "So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service."