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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."

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Military, citizens honor Fort Hood victims

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Parents, siblings, politicians and military personnel gathered at Fort Hood, Texas, Tuesday to honor the 13 people who died during last week's shooting spree.

Family members wore white ribbons to show they were related to the 13 -- three women and 10 men -- who died when accused gunman Maj. Nidal M. Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Center Thursday.

Boots, helmets and bayonet rifles signifying the fallen soldiers' last time in battle were placed above photos of the victims along the stage.

The open area where the memorial was conducted was ringed by steel cargo containers stacked three high as a safety precaution.

Soldiers and civilians stood as families of the fallen and wounded soldiers walked in and took their seats under sunny-splashed skies. Toddlers played in a grassy field were some of the audience sat.

Bagpipes wailed as Army dignitaries, and the first couple, President Barack and Michelle Obama, filed onto the stage as the official ceremony began.

Chaplin Michael Lemke opened the ceremony asking for divine help to "sustain us in our sorrow and in time restore in us a spirit of join and hope."

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, post commander, recalled the acts of bravery when the shooting occurred, noting that their military training helped save lives, as well as offered thanks to the outpouring of generosity.

Of the 13 victims, Cone said, "They volunteered to be part of something bigger than themselves. ... Our army family deeply mourns the loss of your loved ones. ... Nothing can erase our grief."

Military deaths are expected on the battlefield, he said.

"Never did we expect to pay such a high price at home." he said. "May our service be a continue tribute" to those who died.

U.S. Army Secretary George Casey said the victims were "all bound together by the common desire of (finding) something greater than themselves."

"As we grieve as an army family ... I would say to you all, grieve with us, don't grieve for us," Casey said.

President Obama, his voice going from ragged to robust, offered a personal tribute to each of the victims.

"We come together filled with sorrow for the 13 Americans we have lost," Obama said. "This is a time of war. These Americans did not die on a war field of battle; they were killed here, on American soil.

"This is the fact that makes this tragedy more painful and even more incomprehensible," he said.

Obama praised this generation of military personnel as the "finest fighting force" the world has known.

"As we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity, we press ahead to pursue the peace that guided their service."

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Kaine clears way for D.C. Sniper execution

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine refused to intervene in the execution of the so-called D.C. Sniper, scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday night.

Kaine's action came the day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the execution of John Allen Muhammad for the shooting death of Dean Meyers, an engineer shot in the head at a gas station in Manassas, Va.

"Muhammad's trial, verdict and sentence have been reviewed by state and federal courts," Kaine said in a statement posted on his Web site. "Having carefully reviewed the petition for clemency and judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury and then imposed and affirmed by the courts."

"Accordingly, I decline to intervene."

Muhammad is incarcerated in Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va., The Washington Times reported.

The newspaper said Virginia corrections officials said Tuesday a state trooper, a veterinarian, a Chesterfield County police detective, two federal law-enforcement agents and a Virginia Department of Transportation contractor would be state witnesses to the execution.

State corrections spokesman Larry Traylor also said Muhammad requested the menu of his last meal not be made public.

Meyers was one of 10 people killed in Virginia, Maryland and Washington during a three-week period in October 2002 by Muhammad and his partner, Lee B. Malvo, a teenager at the time.

Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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Ex-astronaut pleads guilty in assault case

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Lisa Marie Nowak, the former NASA astronaut accused in Florida of attacking a romantic rival, pleaded guilty to reduced charges in Florida Tuesday.

Nowak was sentenced to two days in jail with credit for time served, The Orlando Sentinel reported. She was also ordered to apologize to her victim in writing, to stay away from her and to serve a year's probation.

The 46-year-old Nowak became notorious when she was charged with assaulting Colleen Shipman in the parking lot at Orlando International Airport. Shipman, a captain in the U.S. Air Force, had become involved with Nowak's former astronaut lover.

One detail especially captured media attention -- that Nowak wore adult diapers during a non-stop drive from Houston to Orlando.

At Tuesday's hearing, Nowak pleaded guilty to attempted burglary of a conveyance and misdemeanor battery. She had been charged with more serious felonies, including attempted kidnapping.

Shipman said Tuesday the attack and the notoriety that followed has led to medical problems and to her leaving the Air Force.

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Poll: Most view Karzai government corrupt

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has a huge task to address perceptions of corruption Afghans have about his government, Gallup Poll results indicate.

The survey taken in Afghanistan in June before the fraud-marred August election indicated 81 percent of respondents said corruption was rampant through all levels of government, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said Tuesday.

Karzai's runoff opponent, former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the second round of voting, saying he did not believe the Nov. 7 election would be fraud-free. After Abdullah dropped out, the runoff was canceled.

In addition, 69 percent of survey participants said the government is not doing enough to fight corruption -- which Gallup indicated was basically unchanged from 2008.

The poll also indicated most Afghans surveyed said they thought the level of corruption was about the same -- 28 percent -- or higher, 50 percent.

Results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults in June 2009 in Afghanistan. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.

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Police say Mo. hostage case a false alarm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Police determined a feared hostage-taking at a Missouri government office building near the governor's mansion Tuesday was a false alarm, officials say.

Jefferson City Police sounded the all-clear Tuesday afternoon after searching the building, St. Louis radio station KMOX-AM reported.

The report of a possible hostage situation had triggered a lockdown at the Governor Office Building, which was surrounded by police vehicles while a state police helicopter kept watch from the sky. Police spent several hours searching the building floor by floor before letting workers back in, KMOX said.

State Highway Patrol Capt. Tim Hull told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the incident started when a woman in the building reported she thought she heard the word "hostage" over an intercom. The woman alerted the building's security company, which called police.

The newspaper said the building was then locked down.

Police didn't say whether they had talked to the woman who initiated the incident, KRCG-TV, Columbia, Mo., reported.

The incident sent Gov. Jay Nixon rushing back to the state from Texas where he was attending a business meeting, his staff said in a statement.