Tucson Memorial Service

[CandyMandy]

I am glad I found this thread, because I almost had a tif with my daughter when the The President got up to speak.

After all the cheering and yelping, I literally said "is this a memorial service or a political rally?" My daughter then launched into a "you don't like Obama" thing and I had to tell her no, my comment had nothing to do the Presdient but instead the crowd dynamic. Irrespective of how eloquent the speeches were, I suspect this is not going to go down in history as one of our shining "the-country-coming-together-in-a-time-of-sorrow" moments - precisely because the aura was ruined by a rather boorish audience.

 

[LukenDC]

I don't think that we should look at the public Tucson event as a traditional memorial service. It was an opportunity for the country to come together in the wake of a tragedy and a poisonous political climate. Americans are fed up with the partisan bickering that, fair or not, has become part of the focus of this tragedy.

We Americans are not known for being reserved.

 

[luvflorida]

Weighing in from Tucson:

Yes, we needed this. Although I can understand how others outside of Tucson might see things differently, I totally understood the cheering and applause tonight. I didn't feel anyone at the McKale Center was being disrespectful or acting inappropriately. I thought the tone of the service was just right, and I thought the service was a wonderful way to pay tribute to and to honor every person affected by the tragic events of last Saturday.

The people of Tucson are still shocked and stunned by what happened here. There has been overwhelming grief and sadness. Surreal and disbelief are two words that describe the feeling of this community.

I've no doubt that there were people at the service this evening that came just to see President Obama, but I truly believe that the vast majority of the over 26,000 people at the McKale Center and Arizona Stadium were there to support and to honor the families and friends affected by this tragedy and to come together to show their support for the city of Tucson. I've visited the site of the evergrowing memorial of flowers, balloons, cards, pictures, and letters outside University Medical Center, and I can tell you, it was a very moving and touching experience.

We have only lived here in Tucson for a short two and a half years, but we are very proud to call Tucson "home". We are proud that our daughter is a student at the University of Arizona. The people of Tucson are some of the nicest, friendliest people we've met anywhere. There were so many heoric acts carried out by so many heroic people last Saturday. Tucsonans have dealt with, and continue to deal with, a lot of grief and heartache. Our thoughts and prayers remain with everyone affected by Saturday's horrific tragedy. So much senseless loss of life.

It's hard to put into words, but yeah, I totally understood the cheering and applause tonight. Tucson needed it. Arizona needed it.

 

[asta]

I thought the President's remarks were beautiful. I liked the image of the young girl jumping in puddles in heaven. I can't really address the crowd's responses. Everyone has a different way of responding to tragedy. Maybe the people of Arizona needed something to rally around.

 

[skater]

I thought it was just me. It did not feel right. I like your discription of a pep ralley it discribes what I saw. If those were my family members I can't help but think it would bother me. I know I can't know how they feel but that did not say memorial service in any way. It bothered me. It felt like the crowd and media were making a spectacle out of a horrible sad situation. I hope it helped people. Everyone is different and maybe it did for some.

I wouldn't have liked it as a family member, but that's just my opinion and how I would feel. It felt political and I wasn't trying to be critical. I actually was watching it with one of my children who loves to hear speeches and I wished I had sent him on to bed.

 

[allison443]

I am glad I found this thread, because I almost had a tif with my daughter when the The President got up to speak.

After all the cheering and yelping, I literally said "is this a memorial service or a political rally?" My daughter then launched into a "you don't like Obama" thing and I had to tell her no, my comment had nothing to do the Presdient but instead the crowd dynamic. Irrespective of how eloquent the speeches were, I suspect this is not going to go down in history as one of our shining "the-country-coming-together-in-a-time-of-sorrow" moments - precisely because the aura was ruined by a rather boorish audience.

There was a lot of cheering way before the president got up to speak. The first speaker, who gave the blessing, mentioned he was of Mexican descent-huge cheers. He mentioned Native Americans-huge cheers. He mentioned the University of Arizona-huge cheers. Same when the university president spoke, when the female student introduced the Congresswoman's intern, and when the intern himself spoke. The cheering went well beyond just applause.

I thought all the cheering seemed a little out of place, but maybe it just didn't translate well on television.

 

[luvflorida]

...Same when the university president spoke, when the female student introduced the Congresswoman's intern, and when the intern himself spoke. The cheering went well beyond just applause.

The intern, Daniel Hernandez, probably saved Gabrielle Gifford's life. He is credited with being the first one to reach her, to hold her head in his lap while applying pressure to her head wound. He walked beside her stretcher, held her hand, and stayed by her side all the way to the hospital. He said he stepped aside to let the medical personnel take over when they arrived, but he continued to give her emotional support the entire time.

Daniel Hernandez insists he is not a hero, but the people of Tucson and Arizona don't agree. We think he IS a hero, along with many others at the scene, hence the abundant cheering and applause tonight.

ETA: I also can see how people outside of Tucson, or Arizona, might get the wrong idea about the cheering for the University of Arizona. The University Medical Center is located adjacent to the campus and is affliated with the University of Arizona. The Medical Center has played a major role in the healing of this community. I think the cheering and applause was for that reason. There were also other, smaller memorial services held around the U of A earlier in the day, which may have been more subdued services. I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure.

 

[MossMan]

The University of Arizona crowd was cheering the heroism that was on display last Saturday. They were also cheering for America itself. If this was a pep rally, it wasn't a political pep rally. It was a pep rally for America.

Well done everyone involved.

 

[allison443]

The intern, Daniel Hernandez, probably saved Gabriel Gifford's life. He is credited with being the first one to reach her, to hold her head in his lap while applying pressure to her head wound. He walked beside her stretcher, held her hand, and stayed by her side all the way to the hospital. He said he stepped aside to let the medical personnel take over when they arrived, but he continued to give her emotional support the entire time.

Daniel Hernandez insists he is not a hero, but the people of Tucson and Arizona don't agree. We think he IS a hero, along with many others at the scene, hence the abundant cheering and applause tonight.

ETA: I also can see how people outside of Tucson or Arizona might get the wrong idea about the cheering for the University of Arizona. The University Medical Center is located adjacent to the campus and is affliated with the University of Arizona. The Medical Center has played a major role in the healing of this community. I think the cheering and applause was for that reason. There were also other, smaller memorial services held around the U of A earlier in the day, which may have been more subdued services. I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure.

Oh, I have been following the story very closely, and I know about Daniel Hernandez and I agree he is a hero My post was only pointing out that the cheering/whooping was happening through the whole night...it wasn't a somber occasion and it didn't strike me as a "political rally" because this was going on even before the president spoke.

It is very interesting to get your perspective from Tucson! As I said, maybe it didn't just translate very well or maybe some of us viewers didn't know what we were expecting, kwim?

 

[CandyMandy]

The University of Arizona crowd was cheering the heroism that was on display last Saturday. They were also cheering for America itself. If this was a pep rally, it wasn't a political pep rally. It was a pep rally for America.

If it was a pep rally, then the label "memorial service" was a very poor choice. Yes, the latter can have moments of levity and enthusiasm, but the overall focus of a true memorial service is is on gracious appreciation of the lost. And indeed there was appreciation of the lost last night, but the behavior of those attending (and the more "political" than "pep" rally" tone it created) was anything but gracious - and as this thread shows stained the overall experience for a large chunk of America.

 

[luvflorida]

They were also cheering for America itself.

This, too!

Oh, I have been following the story very closely, and I know about Daniel Hernandez and I agree he is a hero My post was only pointing out that the cheering/whooping was happening through the whole night...it wasn't a somber occasion and it didn't strike me as a "political rally" because this was going on even before the president spoke.

It is very interesting to get your perspective from Tucson! As I said, maybe it didn't just translate very well or maybe some of us viewers didn't know what we were expecting, kwim?

I hope I didn't come across as rude in my response. I just wasn't sure how much indepth coverage the rest of the country is getting. Here in Tucson we pretty much got 24 hour news coverage for the first few days and continue to get many, many reports on, and interviews with, individuals that were on the scene that day.

One of the nicest interviews that I saw was one given by Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News to one of our local newscasters. He had just given an update that went out nationally, then did a casual interview with a reporter from a local affliate. He was so gracious and talked about how bad things can happen to good communities. He had a lot of good things to say about Tucson, which I'm sure everyone here appreciated.

I do know what you're saying, though. Even my husband admitted that at first he wasn't sure what to think of all the cheering, but that it made more sense to him as the service went along.

 

[eduk8r26]

According to some of the commentators afterward, Tucson had been in such a sad state the last few days, they needed to feel good about something. So the commentators didn't feel it was really out of place. Besides, in my mind a memorial service is to remember those who have died. And if people feel good about what has been said, I see nothng wrong with it. I only heard the end of it, but the President's words about Christina definitely brought tears to my eyes. And I liked the fact that it was not a political speech.

 

[Mickeyistheman]

I was very moved by our Presidents Speech tonight and he was moved as well. I haven't been proud to be an American lately, but tonight I was inspired and moved.

LuvFlorida, I can imagine how those in Tuscon are feeling. Being from North Jersey, after the wake of 9/11 we needed support, we wanted to feel connected as a nation and we did. Because we put aside our differences and came together. Please know that I am thinking of those affected, not just the families but the communities as well.

This is not very different from 9/11, it was a horrible act of violence against innocent people. We will learn more in the weeks to come, but I hope this will bring us closer as a nation we need that again.

So glad to hear of Gabby's progress, we need to hear good news, that gives everyone hope that things will get better.

 

[justhat]

Like Luvflorida, I also live in Tucson and I thought it was great. We are all living in shock here and rallying together is what is getting everyone through this horrible time. I am just a few miles from the Safeway where this tragedy occurred and it's a place we frequently shop at and where our friends shop. The thought that we could have been there, or friends of ours, is just surreal. People are still processing everything and trying to make some sense out of it and coming together as a city is what everyone here feels compelled to do at the moment.

We just moved to Tucson last summer from Washington, DC and you'd think after having lived in DC, with their ridiculous crime rate, this wouldn't be such a shock to us, but it truly is. Tucson has this incredible small town feel and in only a short 6 months that we've lived here, we have truly come to feel it is our home. We've made many great friends, found a community that is very supportive of each other, people are just willing to really help out and they're just really nice here. And like I said, I lived inside DC, where we had shootings at our local Safeway (just 2 blocks from our old home) all the time. But that was a way of life there, where everyone was constantly guarded and expecting the worst. Here, no one is like that. Everyone is trusting of each other and there is typically some level of respect for those around you. This insane act has been like a personal violation to the residents of this city.

And as far as the U of A goes, I think the cheering for it relates directly to the amazing care the victims received from UMC, which is directly affiliated with the U of A, their med school, residencies, etc. Here is Tucson, we are NOT set up to accommodate mass traumas. UMC is our ONLY trauma center in the entire city because things like this don't happen here. My husband is a physician at another hospital in the city and it's a typical community hospital in a small town. No huge emergencies, just simple, routine cases. So to see everyone at UMC go into action like they did, and work so hard to safe Gabrielle Gifford's life, as well as the rest of the survivors, is just another example of the community spirit here. They truly saw these people as "our own", not just critically injured patients (like was the case in DC, which, of course, has multiple trauma centers and routinely gets GSWs).


But having said all that, my husband was listening to the memorial service in the car on his way home today and he did ask me about all of the cheering because he said it sounded bizarre on the radio. Watching it on tv, I could get a different feel for it, and when he watched it and saw our community there, he understoof it better too. But we live here and have come to know the people. So being on the outside, I can see how it would seem somewhat strange.

 

[luvflorida]

Like Luvflorida, I also live in Tucson and I thought it was great. We are all living in shock here and rallying together is what is getting everyone through this horrible time. I am just a few miles from the Safeway where this tragedy occurred and it's a place we frequently shop at and where our friends shop. The thought that we could have been there, or friends of ours, is just surreal. People are still processing everything and trying to make some sense out of it and coming together as a city is what everyone here feels compelled to do at the moment.

We just moved to Tucson last summer from Washington, DC and you'd think after having lived in DC, with their ridiculous crime rate, this wouldn't be such a shock to us, but it truly is. Tucson has this incredible small town feel and in only a short 6 months that we've lived here, we have truly come to feel it is our home. We've made many great friends, found a community that is very supportive of each other, people are just willing to really help out and they're just really nice here. And like I said, I lived inside DC, where we had shootings at our local Safeway (just 2 blocks from our old home) all the time. But that was a way of life there, where everyone was constantly guarded and expecting the worst. Here, no one is like that. Everyone is trusting of each other and there is typically some level of respect for those around you. This insane act has been like a personal violation to the residents of this city.

We live in Northwest Tucson, less than ten miles from the intersection where the Safeway is located. We don't normally shop there, but have been in there a few times. Our youngest daughter drives through that intersection every Saturday morning on her way to teach dance classes at a local dance studio. Last Saturday, she arrived at that intersection approximately 45 minutes after the shootings took place. Along with other traffic, she was diverted to a route that took her behind the shopping plaza. She said she saw a lot of police and caution tape and knew something awful must have happened there, but she didn't find out how terrible it was until she got to the studio.

My husband received a phone call from Gabrielle Gifford's downtown office (as I'm sure many Tucsonans did) inviting him to attend Saturday's event. We briefly thought about heading up to it, but decided instead to take a walk around our neighborhood that morning. I still get chills thinking about how our morning might have turned out differently had we decided to attend.

Like you said, and I said earlier, surreal is a good way to describe what has happened here in Tucson.

We also get the "small town feel" living here. Which is odd, given that the city of Tucson is really quite large and spread out. The city has a very laid-back, easy-going vibe, and we have found the people to be very friendly and caring. We relocated to Tucson from New England and we immediately noticed how people here are much more willing to strike up a conversation with others.

No place is perfect, but I honestly think the state of Arizona and the people here have really taken a beating in the press this past year or so. And now, this awful tragedy in Tucson.

It is going to take a long time to heal from this, but I think last night's service at the McKale Center was a step in the right direction.

 

[JulyGirl]

I think there should have been a Memorial Service for the victims. What I saw last night was definitely not that. If my family member was killed in that shooting, I would not want to hear applause and cheering. It is wonderful that Gifford can open her eyes, but imagine how you would feel if you were that little girl's mother and there was no hope for you at all. A rally for America could have been held at another time.

 

[Mermaid02]

I had to turn it off. This was NOT a memorial service.

Gabby Giffords is alive and that is fabulous- but 6 others were not so lucky- it's almost like the folks at the rally didn't want to talk about those who died but only about Giffords miraculous survival.

 

[longhorns2]

My family is from Tucson. My dad and mom are U of A alum.

I know the city was torn by this- Tucson, just doesn't see this kind of craziness.

But the event was billed as a memorial service. I think the students/public/whoever took it a bit far with the cheering. To be fair- this also happened to Obama with the Ft. Hood memorial. People there were whooping and hollering when he came out as well.

I don't get it. Why can't people show the dead a little more respect?

I do understand the need for healing and for moving forward. I totally get the cheers for the intern and the medical staff. But it still sat wrong with me (and it seems a lot of Americans feel this way) It's a shame. Tucson is wonderful- the people are wonderful. I'm sorry the circumstances made it look otherwise with this pep rally.

 

[Jennasis]

So the thing was depressing enough? Wasn't sad enough? Wasn't somber enough?

Frankly I can think of no greater tribute to the deceased than to raise the spirits of those who remain behind.

 

[happygirl]

I find it a horrible. It's wonderful that the Congresswomen is improving, but I think that not the time to bring that up, when this families lost someone. After all this was a memorial service to remember those who had past, not to remember those are still alive. I didn't like the clapping I found that disrespectful