[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 16 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Pages 457-458]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks During a Memorial Convocation at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, 
Virginia

April 17, 2007

    Governor, thank you. President Steger, thank you very much. Students 
and faculty and staff and grieving family members and members of this 
really extraordinary place: Laura and I have come to Blacksburg today 
with hearts full of sorrow. This is a day of mourning for the Virginia 
Tech community, and it is a day of sadness for our entire Nation. We've 
come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know 
that people all over this country are thinking about you and asking God 
to provide comfort for all who have been affected.
    Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they 
grabbed their backpacks, and they headed for class. And soon the day 
took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in 
classrooms and dormitories, confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By 
the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college 
campus in American history, and for many of you here today, it was the 
worst day of your lives.
    It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those 
whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were 
simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone, and they 
leave behind grieving families and grieving classmates and a grieving 
nation.
    In such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain 
us. And in this moment of loss, you're finding these sources everywhere 
around you. These sources of strength are in this community, this 
college community. You have a compassionate and resilient community here 
at Virginia Tech. Even as yesterday's events were still unfolding, 
members of this community found each other; you came together in dorm 
rooms and dining halls and on blogs. One recent graduate wrote this: ``I 
don't know most of you guys, but we're all Hokies, which means we're 
family. To all of you who are okay, I'm happy for that. For those of you 
who are in pain or have lost someone close to you, I'm sure you can call 
on anyone of us and have help any time you need it.''
    These sources of strength are with your loved ones. For many of you, 
your first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know 
that you were okay. Others took on the terrible duty of calling the 
relatives of a classmate or a colleague who had been wounded or lost. I 
know many of you feel awfully far away from people you lean on, people 
you count on during difficult

[[Page 458]]

times. But as a dad, I can assure you, a parent's love is never far from 
their child's heart. And as you draw closer to your own families in the 
coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for sons and 
daughters who will never come home.
    These sources of strength are also in the faith that sustains so 
many of us. Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across 
America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and 
have lifted you up in prayer. People who have never met you are praying 
for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are 
injured. There's a power in these prayers, a real power. In times like 
this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As 
the Scriptures tells us, ``Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil 
with good.''
    And on this terrible day of mourning, it's hard to imagine that a 
time will come when life at Virginia Tech will return to normal. But 
such a day will come. And when it does, you will always remember the 
friends and teachers who were lost yesterday and the time you shared 
with them and the lives they hoped to lead. May God bless you.
    May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. And may His love touch 
all those who suffer and grieve.

Note: The President spoke at 2:36 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum. In his 
remarks, he referred to Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia; and Charles W. 
Steger, president, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 
The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.