A solemn and sad time...To see their pictures on the podium was heartbreaking.  Also the 5 empty chairs with just their uniform hats.

President Obama spoke from his heart and soul. Very touching...here is part of his speech...calling for unity.He consoled the families of the fallen, named the victims and condemned what he described as a “demented” act of racial hatred. At the same time, he implored the nation to empathize with the pain suffered at the hands of abusive police officers by black communities and specifically by the families of Alton Sterling of Louisiana and Philando Castile of Minnesota — two black men whose deaths ignited nationwide demonstrations, including the one in Dallas where the officers were killed

.“I know that Americans are struggling right now with what we’ve witnessed over the past week,”  “First, the shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, and the protests, then the targeting of police by the shooter here — an act not just of demented violence but of racial hatred. All of it has left us wounded, and angry, and hurt.”In the same vein, he asked Americans who might be uncomfortable with Black Lives Matter to look past the slogan to the unassailable reality that African-American communities are often mistreated by the police. Of Alton Sterling, a generous friend and neighbor shot dead last week in Baton Rouge, he said, “maybe he wasn’t so different than us.” And the life of Philando Castile “mattered to a whole lot of people of all races, of all ages.”The hate-filled sniper who killed five officers in Dallas will not be the last person to seek to turn Americans against one another, President Obama said.

“But as Americans we can decide that people like this killer will ultimately fail. They will not drive us apart. We can decide to come together and make our country reflect the good inside us, the hopes and simple dreams we share.”

As usual the President showed his understanding and his caring side.  I will miss him!  He gives me hope for our America...that is already great!