Remarks at a Memorial Service for Central Intelligence Agency Officers in Langley, Virginia

America's intelligence agencies are a community, and the CIA is a family. That is how we gather here today. I speak as a grateful Commander in Chief who relies on you. There are Members of Congress here who support you, leaders--Leon Panetta, Steve Kappes--who guide you, and most of all, family, friends, and colleagues who love you and grieve with you.

For more than 60 years, the security of our Nation has demanded that the work of this Agency remain largely unknown. But today our gratitude as citizens demands that we speak of seven American patriots who loved their country and gave their lives to defend it.

[At this point, the President read the names of the officers.]

They came from different corners of our country, men and women, and each walked their own path to that rugged base in the mountains. Some had come to this work after a lifetime of protecting others in law enforcement, in the military; one was just a few years out of college.

Some had devoted years, decades even, to unraveling the dark web of terrorists that threatened us; others, like so many of you, joined these ranks when 9/11 called a new generation to service. Some had spent years on dangerous tours around the globe; others had just arrived in harm's way.

But there, at the remote outpost, they were bound by a common spirit. They heard their country's call and answered it. They served in the shadows and took pride in it. They were doing their job, and they loved it. They saw the danger and accepted it. They knew that the price of freedom is high, and in an awful instant, they paid that price.

There are no words that can ease the ache in your hearts. But to their colleagues and all who served with them--those here today, those still recovering, those watching around the world--I say: Let their sacrifice be a summons to carry on their work, to complete this mission, to win this war, and to keep our country safe.

To their parents: It is against the natural order of life for parents to lay their children to rest. Yet these weeks of solemn tribute have revealed for all to see that you raised remarkable sons and daughters. Everything you instilled in them--the virtues of service and decency and duty--were on display that December day. That is what you gave them. That is what you gave to America. And our Nation will be forever in your debt.

To the spouses: Your husbands and wives raised their hand and took an oath to protect and defend the country that they loved. They fulfilled that oath with their life. But they also took your hand and made a vow to you. And that bond of love endures from this world to the next. Amidst grief that is sometimes unbearable, may you find some comfort in our vow to you that this Agency and this country will stand with you and support you always.

And to the beautiful children: I know that this must be so hard and confusing, but please always remember this. It wasn't always easy for your mom or dad to leave home. But they went to another country to defend our country, and they gave their lives to protect yours. And as you grow, the best way to keep their memory alive and the highest tribute you can pay to them is to live as they lived, with honor and dignity and integrity.

They served in secrecy, but today every American can see their legacy. For the record of their service--and of this generation of intelligence professionals--is written all around us. It's written in the extremists who no longer threaten our country because you eliminated them. It's written in the attacks that never occurred because you thwarted them. And it's written in the Americans across this country and around the world who are alive today because you saved them.

And should anyone here ever wonder whether your fellow citizens truly appreciate that service, you need only remember the extraordinary tributes of recent weeks: the thousands of Americans who have sat down at their computers and posted messages to seven heroes they never knew; in the outpouring of generosity to the memorial foundation that will help support these proud families; and along a funeral procession in Massachusetts, in the freezing cold, mile after mile, friends and total strangers paying their respects, small children holding signs saying "thank you," and a woman holding up a large American flag because, she said simply, "He died for me and my family."

As a nation, we pledge to be there for you and your families. We need you more than ever. In an ever-changing world where new dangers emerge suddenly, we need you to be one step ahead of nimble adversaries. In this information age, we need you to sift through vast universes of data to find intelligence that can be acted upon swiftly. And in an era of technology and unmanned systems, we still need men and women like these seven, professionals of skill and talent and courage who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect our Nation.

Because of them, because of you, a child born in America today is welcomed into a country that is proud and confident, strong and hopeful, just as Molly Roberson welcomed her daughter Piper this week, both of whom join us today. Piper will never know her dad Scott. But thanks to Molly, she will know what her father stood for--a man who served his country, who did his duty, and who gave his life to keep her safe.

And on some distant day, years from now, when she is grown, if Piper--or any of these children--seeks to understand for themselves, they'll need only come here, to Langley, through these doors, and stand before that proud Memorial Wall that honors the fallen.

And perhaps they'll run their fingers over the stars that recall their parents' service. Perhaps they'll walk over to that Book of Honor, turn the pages, and see their parents' names. And at that moment of quiet reflection, they will see what we all know today: that our Nation is blessed to have men and women such as these; that we are humbled by their service; that we give thanks for every day that you keep us safe.

May God bless these seven patriots, may He watch over their families, and may God bless the United States of America.