PHOTO BY DAVID LOWE Spc. Brian Hill, who was injured in Iraq by an improvised explosive device, leans on a cane while praying during the Fort Hood memorial service. “I’m just glad political correctness wasn’t enforced today,” Hill said. “There was a benediction. There was a prayer.” F ort Hood on Tuesday mourned the loss of 13 on-base shooting victims, who President Barack Obama said embodied the U.S. Army’s courage and sacrifice.

In somber, measured tones, the president spoke to soldiers and their families, Pentagon officials and U.S. Congress members in front of III Corps headquarters. Obama’s remarks were made during a memorial service for the 10 men and three women fatally shot at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing site Nov. 5.

The victims ranged from age 19 to 62, represented 10 states and left behind 19 children, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood. Three of the victims were expectant parents, including Pvt. Francheska Velez, who was pregnant with her first child at the time of the shooting.

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY CHUCK KENNEDY President Barack Obama speaks Tuesday at a Fort Hood memorial service to honor the victims of last week’s mass shooting on the Army post. During the ceremony’s opening remarks, III Corps Chaplain Col. Michael Lembke mentioned the victims -- whom Cone called “our friends and families” -- simply by their first names.

Obama and the commanding general both noted that despite their different backgrounds, the victims were united by their willingness to sacrifice.

“Theirs are the tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call -- the call to serve their comrades, their communities and their country,” Obama said after offering brief biographical sketches of the slain.

“In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility,” the president added. “In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.”

Obama referred in broad terms to ongoing military operations in the Middle East. The president noted combat against extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and efforts to bring the war in Iraq “to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.” speaks at American soldiers, sailors, airmen,

Marines and Coast Guardsmen are perpetuating a long tradition, Obama said, of fighting to give nations across the world an opportunity to cultivate self-government.

“We’re a nation that is dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal,” the president said. “We live that truth within our military and see it in the varied backgrounds of those we lay to rest today.

“We defend that truth at home and abroad, and we know that Americans will always be found on the side of liberty and equality,” Obama added. “That’s who we are as a people.”

Alleged gunman Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim, is suspected of communicating with a radical Islamic leader and of posting favorable comments about suicide bombers on the Internet. Obama, however, urged Americans not to blame the shooting on Islam.

“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. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice -- in this world and the next.”

Lembke later read from Isaiah 40 and urged those grieving to seek divine strength and the power to forgive.

“In this most difficult time, we feel our frailty...but we can be assured of God’s presence,” Lembke said. “Let us pray for the grace to put aside the anger and self-righteous indignation that often arise from a senseless tragedy.”

Those slain at Fort Hood, Obama said in concluding his speech, left a legacy of bravery. As he urged Americans to honor armed service members’ sacrifices on Veterans Day, Obama said current military personnel are worthy of the same honor as soldiers of the past.

“You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe, an uncle who fought in Vietnam, a sister who served in the Gulf,” the president said. “But as we honor the many generations who have served, all of us -- every single American -- must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who’ve come before.

“We need not look to the past for greatness,” Obama added, “because it is before our very eyes.”

The memorial ceremony concluded with a final roll call by Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt, firing of rifle volleys by members of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and the playing of “Taps” by Christopher Williams.