remember to console one another and to give what strength we possibly can to the victims and to their families. sergeant first class daniel ferguson, staff sergeant c sergeant carlos rodriguez and sergeant timothy owens all knew and lived with and accepted that danger comes with being an american soldier. each deployed various times during the longest period of war, that they came back, came back safely each and every time only to lose their lives here at home. a place of presumed safety serves to grately magnify the senselessness of it all. of course these men were not just soldiers. they were so much more. they were comrades.
for danny, said his fiance, being in the army was his life. carlos, said a friend, was the epitome of what you would want a leader to be in the army. timothy helped counsel his fellow soldiers. said a friend, he was always the person you could go to talk to. and it was love for their comrades, for all of you, that defined their last moments. as we have heard when the gunman tried to push his way into that room, danny held the door shut, saving the lives of others while sacrificing his own. and it is said that timothy, the counselor even then, gave his life walking towards the gunman, trying to calm him down.
ferguson, staff sergeant carlos lazaney-rodriguez, sergeant timothy owens, like the 576 ft. hood soldiers who have given their lives in iraq and afghanistan, they were taken from us much too soon. like the 13 americans we lost five years ago, their passing shakes our soul. and in moments such as this, we summon once more what we ve learned in these hard years of war. we reach within our wounded hearts, we lean on each other, we hold each other up, we carry on, and with god s amazing grace, we somehow bear what seems unbearable.
close rodriguez, sergeant timothy owens. danny and carlos joined two decades ago in a time of peace and stayed as the nation went to war. timothy joined after 911 knowing that he could be sent into harm s way. between them they deployed nine times. each served in iraq. danny came home from afghanistan just last year. they lived those shining values loyalty, duty, honor, that keep us strong and free. it was love for the army that made them the soldiers they were.
o er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ladies and gentlemen, chaplain colonel matthew m. goss. would you please bow with me as we pray? almighty god, as we enter this sacred moment of memorial, we pause to acknowledge you, the god of all comfort and mercy. we ask that you would be with us collectively and individually and bring healing as we remember and honor our three fallen comrades, daniel, carlos and timothy. walk with us through the valley