We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school that could have been any school; in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America.

This is a memorial address for twenty children and six adults who died at a school. It stresses that the school and town could have been anywhere, so the loss belongs to the whole country. The tone is solemn, grieving and inclusive.

Context reviewed 28 September 2026