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Libya Victims' Remains Return To U.S.; U.S. Was Concerned Before Libyan Attacks; Libyans Make Attack Arrests; U.S. Diplomats Were Targeted; Ambassador and Other Slain Americans Remembered

Aired September 14, 2012 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tyrone Woods, a father of three, who spent more than 20 years as a Navy SEAL. Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL who was active in a group fighting to keep religious tolerance inside the military. And Sean Smith, a 10-year veteran of the Foreign Service Management Office and a father of two. The men were killed on Tuesday night as protesters stormed the consulate in Benghazi. Libyan officials say four people had been arrested in connection with the violence. But they also stress the suspects are not connected to the acts that led to the deaths of the Americans.

We're going to continue to follow this ceremony that's about to take place now in Washington. We want to go to Barbara Starr. She's at the Pentagon.

So, Barbara, the president is there, the secretary of state is there. They will be taking part in a ceremony at Andrews. The vice president is there, as well as the secretary of defense. Tell us what's going on at this moment.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Don, all of these people have gathered to pay their respects to the fallen and to the families. We are told, when the ceremony begins, it will take place inside a hangar at the Andrews base and we will not see the families on camera. Their privacy is being greatly respected at this time, of course. This is -- this is so fresh for them. There will be speeches. There will be a chaplain. But this will be something where it will really be dictated by the privacy wishes of the families.

What we can tell you is there's something quite extraordinary here. In these types of ceremonies that we've seen all too often, generally it is the military, of course, that renders the honors by carrying the casket off the plane. In this case it was the U.S. Marines that handled all of this. There were no other service members, we're told. The Marines wanted to do this, of course, because it is Marines that protect U.S. embassy personnel around the world, including in Libya. So it was the Marines today that are rendering that final honor by carrying the cases, the transfer cases, or caskets, if you will, off the plane into the hangar for the ceremonies. We may see some of that and especially as they are carried back out again.

Interesting detail, Don. The remains will be flown after this to Dover Air Force Base for forensics and autopsy.

Don. LEMON: And they are calling it -- that's why they're not calling it a dignified transfer of remains. They're calling it a ceremony to mark the transfer of the remains, Barbara.

STARR: That's right. There will be another ceremony when it is understood in several hours at Dover when they arrive there. Perhaps the more traditional ceremony that sadly we have seen so many times over the years as service men and women who have fallen in battle have come back. I mean think of it this way, over 6,500 U.S. service members have lost their lives in the last 11 years of war. Their remains all returned. Most of them back through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Many times their families are able to travel there to meet the casket as it does come off the plane. This is a ceremony President Obama has been there, secretaries of defense have attended, dignitaries have attended. But really in these cases, Don, it's the families, you know, the ones who are in such grief and in such mourning. Everything really is arranged to try and protect their privacy and yet today one more time we will see what we've seen so often before, whether it is the State Department family, the military family, people coming together to pay their respects and to remember.

LEMON: And, Barbara, stand by. Barbara will be helping me with this ceremony today.

I want to go to Elise Labott now.

Elise, I understand that you knew the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did. He was one of the first people I met, Don, when I came to the State Department in 2000. And he really was one of the cream of the crop here at the State Department. One of most popular diplomats. Everyone knew him as someone who loved the Middle East, loved Libya in particular.

He first went to Libya in 2007 as the U.S. was trying to restore its ties with Libya after decades with Moammar Gadhafi. And then when the conflict happened, the Arab Spring, he was the representative to the rebels, to the transitional government. And so when President Obama and Secretary Clinton were looking for an ambassador to head up the U.S. embassy and represent the U.S. in Libya with this new government, there was really no other man for the job. He was really dying to go back. And, in fact, he was so excited and told friends and colleagues and, in fact, I was at his swearing in, that he was so excited to go back to the country that he loved. And he just felt at home there. And he was really, really fondly remembered here today in the last few days at the State Department, Don.

LEMON: To a person everyone has had nothing but glowing reviews and glowing remarks about Christopher Stevens and his commitment to what -- not a job for him, this was his career, this was his passion, this is what he loved. The secretary of state, Elise, said he loved Libya. He loved doing his work there. LABOTT: He really -- you know, what said -- what a lot -- one of his friends said to me, and a lot of other people have echoed this sentiment, is Chris was from northern California. The ambassador studied there. He went to the University of California there. So he had this kind of laid back California exterior and was seen as being laid back, but he was so serious about the work and he had this burning desire to advance the U.S. work in Libya, advance the U.S. work in the region. And so you see most -- in most of these pictures he's smiling. Everyone had nice things to say. He was really someone who loved to be social, loved to host, not just his friends and American guests, but also host Libyans.

And so I think in the last couple of days, what you've seen from Libya is that this outpouring of remorse and regret and sorrow from the Libyan people, these images about how sorry they are. In fact, it was some Libyan rebel brigade that ended up taking his body to the hospital. And so I think as the U.S. and the State Department are mourning the loss of Ambassador Stevens, I think just as much the Libyans are -- feel that they're losing a friend and someone who really was trying to help them build a new and rebuild this country after so many years of dictatorship and this conflict that really tore the country up during the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi.

LEMON: All right, Elise Labott, stand by as well because we're waiting for this ceremony to begin.

And as we stand by for the ceremony at Andrews, we're now getting word of a specific warning about these Middle East protests 48 hours before the deadly attack in Libya. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're standing by for a ceremony to mark the dignified return of the remains of those killed in that attack on the Libyan consulate on Tuesday. The four Americans killed. The president is going to speak, as well as the secretary of state. Also, the vice president will be there and the secretary of defense. We'll carry the entire ceremony live. It should start in just a few moments.

In the meantime, we want to talk about what's going on here. The investigation and also how this is playing out. CNN's Suzanne Kelly is in Washington with information that concerns stemming from an anti- Muslim film was relayed to the embassy in Cairo. So those concerns were relayed to the embassy. Suzanne, was a concern also relayed to Libya?

SUZANNE KELLY, CNN INTELLIGENCE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're getting a little bit better picture about just what the intelligence community knew at the time in those days before the Benghazi attack. And what we know is that 48 hours before the attack took place, there was an intelligence cable, as you mentioned, Don, sent to Cairo that did warn about this -- the fact that this film was on the Internet, was being seen, and that it was gaining in popularity. So they were kind of watching the trend numbers go right up in terms of how many people were clicking on this and trying to look ahead and figure out what might be done. Now, when a cable like this, an intelligence cable, is sent to Cairo, it is disseminated throughout the region. They do communicate with each other. So there's reason to believe that there are plenty of other people who also knew about this and were aware.

Now, the intelligence community also, though -- a U.S. official came out a little bit earlier today and insisted to me that there was no link between -- at the time that this cable was sent, there was no link between their concerns over the film and an attack. So they're still saying absolutely adamantly that this was not a planned attack.

Now, these are U.S. officials who are saying this, which is a little bit different from what we've been hearing from members of Congress who have come out on both sides saying we think it's planned, we don't think it was planned. But in terms of the intelligence and what was on the radar at the time, we know that there was concern over this film and we know that they are adamantly, adamantly saying that there was no intelligence indicating an attack was being planned.

LEMON: Suzanne Kelly, thank you for that bit of information.

Arwa Damon is in Benghazi, Libya, now.

So, Arwa, what's the situation there? You've seen the consulate, haven't you?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We were there this morning. And it's quite chilling to be standing there in the middle of some of these buildings that have been completely gutted. The walls are burnt. Everything is covered in black. Just everything also has been very looted, combed through by a number of people, because it wasn't really secured after the incident took place.

We were speaking with a security guard who was stationed there at one of the main entrances. The Libyan security guards that were effectively the front line of security are actually not armed. They're only carrying radios. And he was talking about how this attack came from three different directions, rocket propelled grenades, grenades, heavy machine gunfire. He eventually ended up trying to run to a secure location, came across -- or rather was found by a group of these gunmen that attacked the consulate. He said that some of them were masked, others had big beards. They threatened him at gunpoint with death because he was an, as he was putting it, protecting the infidels. One of the attackers then did, in fact, step in. That is how he was able to get away.

But all of this really underscoring just how volatile this country is. Because one must also remember that this is not the first attack against western interests in Benghazi. In the last few months, there have been a series of attacks. The convoy of the British ambassador, for example. The compound of the ICRC attacked, its employees forced to evacuate.

And so what's happened has really brought up a lot of questions, not just about the Libyan government's capabilities when it comes to whether or not they can in fact control these various armed militias that do operate with pretty much a fair amount of impunity, but also as to whether or not the U.S. did perhaps grossly underestimate the threat that existed against them here in Libya.

LEMON: The president of the United States, Arwa, has spoken out saying there is no justification for this type of violence, regardless of what may have stemmed it, if it was that film. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the same thing as well. Their words -- are their words resonating there?

DAMON: Their words are not only resonating here, but every single Libyan who I have spoken to has a message to the United States, to the international community, and, most importantly, they say to the family members of those who were killed in this attack. And that is that this most certainly is not a sentiment that is supported or condoned. These actions, rather, are not condoned by the vast majority of the population. Everyone who I have spoken to really expressing their anguish, their horror, their shock that such violence did in fact take place.

All of them, too, now really putting the onus on their own government to somehow rein in these various armed extremist militias. But the government in and of itself is admitting that at this specific point in time, it quite simply does not have the capabilities to take on these heavily armed, pretty well trained elements that are, as I was saying, operating with impunity in the country, especially in the eastern part of it.

LEMON: Well, you can tell the difference in live shots. Not as animated today as they have been in previous days where you are and also in Egypt. Thank you, Arwa Damon. Stand by, please, for the ceremony. We'll get back to you.

As we stand by for the ceremony at Andrews, we're getting new information on the arrests made in connection to this case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Some more developments to tell you about on these deadly attacks in Libya. Jomana Karadsheh joins me now. She is from Tripoli.

What are you learning?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, according to Libyan officials, they now say they have four people, four individuals, in Benghazi, in custody, who are being interrogated for their possible links to the attack. Yesterday, we heard from the country's prime minister telling CNN that at least one of those individuals is a Libyan national. Now, today, a senior Libyan government official is telling CNN that these individuals may not have taken part in the attack or directly involved in this attack, but they do have links to the extremist group that may have carried out this attack.

A little while ago my colleague, Arwa Damon, in Benghazi, did speak with the country's president, the president of the ruling general national congress. He said that now they believe that this attack was pre-planned. It was carried out by an extremist group that was intending to inflict maximum damage on western targets, specifically U.S. interests. And the government believes that the intent of this attack was really to drive apart Libyans and Americans and really sabotage the relations between both countries.

LEMON: OK. So then if it is planned then, Jomana, does that negate, does that cancel out this whole uproar over the film?

KARADSHEH: Well, I heard from U.S. officials saying that they believe that it may have been used as a cover-up or a diversion to carry out this attack. Don, we need to look at this in the context of what has been going on in the eastern part of the country. We know from Libyan officials and from western officials that there are groups there, extremist groups with ties to al Qaeda that are operating there. And as Arwa mentioned, over recent months, we have seen attacks on western targets there. That same U.S. consulate, a bomb detonated outside the consulate back in June. There were no casualties in that attack. And it was claimed by a group that is a pro al Qaeda group. So there -- these cell groups are in the eastern part of the country have been operating. They're pretty organized at carrying out these complex, sophisticated attacks. It will become clearer in the next few days if they were indeed responsible, but it is looking more and more likely that they were.

LEMON: Jomana Karadsheh, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

And we are standing by for that ceremony at Joint Base Andrews. It should take place in just moments. But we want to give you some information now before we go -- let's go to the pictures now, as a matter of fact. You're looking now at the ceremony as it begins to take place there. And as we have been telling you, the president will take part in this ceremony, as well as the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. Vice President Joe Biden here. Leon Panetta, the defense secretary, as well.

And as our Barbara Starr has been telling us, this is quite a unique ceremony. They have been saying that this is really not a dignified transfer of the remains. The White House wants to make that clear. They're saying that this is, indeed, a ceremony to mark the transfer of those remains. We will carry it for you live as it is about to get underway right now.

Let's go to Barbara Starr now. Barbara, again, the White House wanted to be clear about what this ceremony means. And, again, this is all going to take place in a hangar. The bodies are there. And you can see the four coffins there in the hangar. What takes -- what's going to happen during the ceremony?

STARR: Well, we will, of course, begin with the National Anthem. We are told, a moment of silence, an invocation by a chaplain. The secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, will speak. And, of course, the president will speak.

I think that no matter, you know, what name you call this ceremony, sadly we have all seen this just too many times, haven't we, where the president becomes essentially -- whoever the president is at a moment in time -- tries to bring the nation together by offering respect and remarks to families who are in grief and trying to explain, you know, any circumstance of how this all came to be, to offer some comfort to both the families and the nation so that they know that their loved ones are respected and will never be forgotten.

We saw it, you know, sadly years ago in the shuttle disasters. We have seen it through all the years of war. We've seen it in major helicopter crashes. We've seen it in terrorist attacks in the past, you know, back in 1998 when the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed. Perhaps one of the first times Americans came to know about al Qaeda.

And we are seeing it again. And it's so interesting because, of course, the ambassador, consummate professional diplomat, that was his career. The other three men had served in the U.S. military. Two former Navy SEALs serving with great distinction, serving and having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, already having survived the war zones and then moving on to Libya, sort of, to serve in the era of the Arab Spring, which had such hope and such promise. And in the last few days we've seen it take quite a turn. A lot of hope that it will take another turn and the violence will not continue. I think that's part of what the president has been doing for the last few days as all of this has happened, reaching out to these nations across the region and saying, you know, let's get this -- let's not have this go on.

LEMON: Uh-huh. And, you know, trying to make some sense, if any sense can be made of any of this, Barbara. And, you know, we're getting the information about the Libyan government now, saying that they believe the Americans were targets in this attack.

And we want to tell the viewers about who's going to be honored today in this ceremony. Barbara, first let's start with Christopher Stevens. He's the first ambassador killed in the line of duty in 33 years. And he helped to liberate Libya just last year. Beloved by everyone.

Also, Barbara, Tyrone Woods, a father of three, who spent more than 20 years as a Navy SEAL. And then there's Glen Doherty. He's a former Navy SEAL who was active in a group fighting to keep religious tolerance inside the military. And Sean Smith, a 10-year veteran of the Foreign Services Management Office and the father of two. Of course, they were killed on Thursday -- on Tuesday, excuse me, Tuesday night as protesters stormed that consulate in Benghazi. A surprise attack, many believe, but one that was planned, Barbara.

Barbara, stand by.

I want to go to Elise Labott, because, Elise, you knew Ambassador Stevens.

LABOTT: I did. I actually traveled with him to Libya in 2007, Don, when he was the U.S. envoy to Libya as the U.S. was restoring ties with Libya after decades. And he was so excited about the potential for U.S./Libyan relations.

We traveled to one of the ruins. Libya has these really beautiful untouched Roman ruins and there was really no tourism there. There were nobody there. So it was myself, CNN's Zain Verjee and Ambassador Stevens walking through these ruins and we were amazed that there was no one there. And he was saying, imagine the potential for tourism, for relations between the U.S. Americans can come here.

And he was kind of a little kid in a way in terms of his enthusiasm for Libya, which was really infectious. And when he returned in 2007, excuse me, returned last year to represent the U.S. as an envoy to the transitional government, to the rebels, he sailed in, as Secretary Clinton said the other day, on a barge, really kind of expeditionary. And that's -- he really saw this not just in terms of the work he could go.

It was dangerous, but he saw it as an adventure. And that's what these other gentlemen -- Sean Smith was there just on a -- what they call TDY at the State Department, which is a temporary assignment. He had just arrived days before from his real assignment in the Hague and these other gentlemen, you know, Glen Doherty, working on securing Libyan loose weapons, which was so important as the country tried to get back on its feet.

And there is just such shock, Don. You know, you talked with Barbara about the military and how used to these type of ceremonies they are. Here at the State Department, you hear once and a while about the odd suicide attack of a foreign service officer or a contractor might be killed, and it's shocking and it's upsetting. But this has really rocked the State Department, as you --

LEMON: And, Elise --

LABOTT: Yes.

LEMON: Yes, it certainly has.

Elise, I hate -- pardon the interruption. I want to welcome our viewers from around the world. I'm Don Lemon. You're watching a homecoming ceremony for our four men who died, tragically, in the attack on the Libyan consulate on Tuesday night. The president of the United States, you see, arriving there. You also see the vice president, Joe Biden, arriving, and the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, as well as the U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta, among other dignitaries that -- who are going to be here honoring these four men who gave their lives in the line of duty, serving their country.

This ceremony, of course, will no doubt be a solemn ceremony. We have heard the stories about these men. They have left behind families, wives, children, mothers, and all kinds of loved ones who are grieving right now.

The president has spoken glowingly about these men, as well as the secretary of state, calling them by their nicknames, which their families say that they would rather be called. And much of the information about these men, even though they had these really tough, secretive jobs in many ways, they also had some very unique experiences. One was a big time gamer. He enjoyed doing that. The other one was a personal trainer. And then you heard our Elise Labott talking about the ambassador, how he liked to have fun and he was always joking and very jovial. So this ceremony is getting underway. It's in Washington, D.C. at Joint Andrews Base there. And you see the four coffins up on the stage. This is going to be handled by the U.S. military, according to our Barbara Starr.

Barbara, if you are there, let's talk a bit more about the ceremony and what we are watching right now.

STARR: Well, this is something really quite extraordinary. This is inside a hangar at Andrews. And you see a C-17 there. They came from Germany on board this C-17. This is the kind of aircraft for so many years now has brought back the fallen from whatever battlefield they fall on.

The Marines are the ones that have carried the caskets, the transfer cases, off the plane, are with them right now, and will carry them back to the plane. Quite extraordinary, Don. Marines have a long relationship with the U.S. State Department around the world.

LEMON: Barbara, we want to -- we want to listen in now so that we can honor these men. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED CHAPLAIN: Let us pause for a moment of silence. Let us pray. Gracious God, on behalf of a grateful nation, and of the presence of grieving family members, friends and colleagues, we welcome home for the final time Ambassador Chris Stevens, Mr. Sean Smith, Mr. Glen Doherty, and Mr. Tyrone Woods.

We give you thanks for the lives and the selfless service of these men who wanted nothing more than to make a difference in the lives of other people, to bring justice and freedom to others, who possessed in their hearts not only character and resolve, but courage and goodwill.

We mourn their loss. Bless the memories of these men through those who knew and loved them, especially their families for whom we ask your comfort, your divine care, and your peace in this difficult time. On this occasion, we continue to pray for our nation and its leaders. We ask your blessing on all who serve, military and civilian.

We pray for our nation's people. We pray for the defeat of the terror and evil that seems to plague our planet. We pray earnestly for peace.

And now creator of all, let light perpetual shine upon Chris, Sean, Glen, and Tyrone. May their souls and the souls of all of the departed through your eternal mercies rest in peace. Amen. You may be seated.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you the Secretary of State, the honorable, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you very much, Chaplain. Mr. President, Mr. Vice president, Secretary Panetta, Ambassador Rice, Secretary Paul, and Mrs. Paul, family members of the four patriots and heroes we bring home, members of the State Department family, ladies and gentlemen.

Today we bring home four Americans who gave their lives for our country and our values. To the families of our fallen colleagues, I offer our most heartfelt condolences and deepest gratitude.

Sean Smith joined the State Department after six years in the Air Force. He was respected as an expert on technology by colleagues in Pretoria, Baghdad, Montreal and The Hague. He enrolled in correspondence courses at Penn State and had high hopes for the future.

Sean leaves behind a loving wife, Heather, two young children, Samantha and Nathan, and scores of grieving family, friends and colleagues. And that's just in this world, because online, in the virtual worlds that Sean helped create, he is also being mourned by countless competitors, collaborators, and gamers who shared his passion.

Tyrone Woods, known to most as Rone, spent two decades as a Navy SEAL, serving multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2010, he protected American diplomatic personnel in dangerous posts from Central America to the Middle East.

He had the hands of a healer, as well as the arms of a warrior, earning distinction as a registered nurse and certified paramedic. Our hearts go out to Tyrone's wife, Dorothy, and his three sons, Tyrone Jr., Hunter, and Kai, born just a few months ago, along with his grieving family, friends and colleagues.

Glen Doherty who went by Bob was also a former SEAL and an experienced paramedic. He, too, died as he lived, serving his country and protecting his colleagues.

Glen deployed to some of the most dangerous places on earth, including Iraq and Afghanistan, always putting his life on the line to safeguard other Americans.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Glen's father, Bernard, his mother, Barbara, his brother Gregory, his sister Kathleen, and their grieving families, friends and colleagues.

I was honored to know Ambassador Chris Stevens. I want to thank his parents and siblings who are here today for sharing Chris with us and with our country. What a wonderful gift you gave us.

Over his distinguished career in the Foreign Service, Chris won friends for the United States in far flung places. He made those people's hopes his own. During the revolution in Libya, he risked his life to help protect the Libyan people from a tyrant.

And he gave his life helping them build a better country. People loved to work with Chris. And as he rose through the ranks, they loved to work for Chris. He was known not only for his courage, but for his smile, goofy, but contagious for his sense of fun and that California cool. In the days since the attack, so many Libyans including the ambassador from Libya to the United States who is with us today have expressed their sorrow and solidarity. One young woman, her head covered and her eyes haunted with sadness held up a handwritten sign that said, thugs and killers don't represent Benghazi nor Islam.

The president of the Palestinian Authority who worked closely with Chris when he served in Jerusalem sent me a letter remembering his energy and integrity, and deploring and, I quote, "an act of ugly terror." Many others from across the Middle East and North Africa have offered similar sentiments.

This has been a difficult week for the State Department and for our country. We have seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of those brave men. We have seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing to do with.

It is hard for the American people to make sense of that because it is senseless and it is totally unacceptable. The people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob.

Reasonable people and responsible leaders in these countries need to do everything they can to restore security and hold accountable those behind these violent acts. And we will, under the president's leadership, keep taking steps to protect our personnel around the world.

There will be more difficult days ahead, but it is important that we don't lose sight of the fundamental fact that America must keep leading the world. We owe it to those four men to continue the long, hard work of diplomacy.

I am enormously proud of the men and women of the State Department. I'm proud of all those across our government, civilian and military alike, who represent America abroad. They help make the United States the greatest force for peace, progress, and human dignity the world has ever known.

If the last few days teach us anything, let it be this, that this work, and the men and women who risk their lives to do it, are at the heart of what makes America great and good. So we will wipe away our tears, stiffen our spines, and face the future undaunted.

And we will do it together, protecting and helping one another, just like Sean, Tyrone, Glen, and Chris always did. May God bless them and grant their families peace and solace and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

And now, let me have the great honor of introducing someone who came to the State Department earlier this week to grieve with us, he well understands and values the work that these men were doing for our country, the president of the United States.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Scripture teaches us greater love hath no man than this, but a man lay down his life for his friends. Glen Doherty never shied from adventure. He believed that in his life he could make a difference, a calling he fulfilled as a Navy SEAL.

He served with distinction in Iraq and worked in Afghanistan. And there in Benghazi as he tended to others, he laid down his life. Loyal as always, protecting his friends. Today Glen is home.

Tyrone Woods devoted 20 years of his life to the SEALs, the consummate quiet professional. At the salty frog mar, they may not have known, but he also served in Iraq and Afghanistan and there in Benghazi, he was far from Dorothy, Tyrone Jr., Hunter and little Kai.

And he laid down his life as he would have for them, protecting his friends. And today Rone is home. Sean Smith, it seems, lived to serve, first in the Air Force, then with you at the State Department.

He knew the perils of this calling, from his time in Baghdad and there in Benghazi, far from home, he surely thought of Heather and Samantha and Nathan and he laid down his life in service to us all. Today Sean is home.

Chris Stevens was everything America could want in an ambassador, as the whole country has come to see. How he first went to the region as a young man in the Peace Corps, how during the revolution he arrived in Libya on that cargo ship, how he believed in Libya and its people, and how they loved him back.

And there in Benghazi, he laid down his life for his friends, Libyan and American and for us all. Today Chris is home. Four Americans, four patriots, they loved this country and they chose to serve it and served it well.

They had a mission and they believed in it. They knew the danger and they accepted it. They didn't simply embrace the American ideal. They lived it. They embodied it, the courage, the hope and, yes, the idealism that fundamental American belief that we can leave this world a little better than before.

That's who they were. That's who we are. If we want to truly honor their memory, it's who we must always be. I know that this awful loss, terrible images of recent days, the pictures we're seeing again today, have caused some to question this work.

And there is no doubt these are difficult days. In moments such as this, so much anger, violence, even the most hopeful among us must wonder. But amid all the images of this week, I also think of the Libyans who took to the streets with homemade signs expressing their gratitude to an America who believed in what we could achieve together.

I think of the man in Benghazi with his sign in English, a message he wanted all of us to hear. It said, Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans. Chris Stevens was a friend. That's the message these four patriots sent. That's the message that each of you sends every day, civilians, military, to people in every corner of the world, that America is a friend, that we care not just about our own country, not just about our own interests, but about theirs.

That even as voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures from one another, the United States of America will never retreat from the world. We will never stop working for the dignity and freedom that every person deserves whatever their creed, whatever their faith.

That's the essence of American leadership. It is the spirit that sets us apart from other nations. This was their work in Benghazi. This is the work we will carry out. To you, their families and colleagues, to all Americans, know this, their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

We will bring to justice those who took them from us. We will stand fast against the violence on our diplomatic missions. We will continue to do everything in our power to protect Americans serving overseas.

Whether that means increasing security at our diplomatic posts, working with host countries, which is an obligation to provide security, and making it clear that justice will come to those who harm Americans.

Most of all, even in our grief, we will be resolute, for we are Americans. We hold our head high knowing that because of these patriots, because of you, this country that we love will always shine as a light unto the world.

Greater love hath no man than this. A man lay down his life for his friends. The flag they served under now carries them home. May God bless the memory of these men who laid down their lives for us all. May God watch over your families and all who loved them. And may god bless these United States of America.

UNIDENTIFIED CHAPLAIN: Before our benediction, we will stand together for the playing of the national anthem as we render honor to the nation that these men loved and for which they died.

Let us pray. Almighty God, creator of us all, and lover of the human race, we commend to you our brothers Chris and Sean and Glen and Tyrone into your merciful hands receive them, deliver them from all fear, strengthen them in your presence, and give them your peace. Amen.