Deputy Secretary of State William Burns delivers remarks at a ceremony honoring fallen Americans in Tripoli, Libya, September 20, 2012. [Go tohttp://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton deliver remarks at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony marking the return to the United States of the remains of the four Americans killed this week in Benghazi, Libya, at Andrews Air Force Base on September 14, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

On September 14, 2012, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered remarks at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony to honor those lost in attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Secretary Clinton began her remarks by saying, “…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.”

President Obama remembered the four men, and said:

“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,… more »

President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honor the Benghazi victims at the Transfer of Remains Ceremony held at Andrews Air Force Base, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, September 14, 2012. An attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya claimed the lives of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and security personnel Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty on September 11, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews, MD
September 14, 2012

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much, Chaplain. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Secretary Panetta, Ambassador Rice, Secretary Powell and Mrs. Powell, 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. MORE

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2012
Andrews Air Force Base
2:46 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Scripture teaches us “Greater love hath no man than this, that 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 Bar, they might not have known, but “Rone” also served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And there, in Benghazi, he was far from Dorothy and 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 and that’s who we are.  And if we want to truly honor their memory, that’s who we must always be. MORE

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
September 13, 2012

The attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya on Tuesday claimed the lives of four Americans. Yesterday, I spoke about two: Ambassador Chris Stevens and Information Management Officer Sean Smith. Today, we also recognize the two security personnel who died helping protect their colleagues. Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty were both decorated military veterans who served our country with honor and distinction. Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest gratitude are with their families and friends. Our embassies could not carry on our critical work around the world without the service and sacrifice of brave people like Tyrone and Glen.

Tyrone’s friends and colleagues called him “Rone,” and they relied on his courage and skill, honed over two decades as a Navy SEAL. In uniform, he served 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 arm of a warrior, earning distinction as a registered nurse and certified paramedic. All our hearts go out to Tyrone’s wife Dorothy and his three sons, Tyrone Jr., Hunter, and Kai, who was born just a few months ago.

We also grieve for Glen Doherty, called Bub, and his family: his father Bernard, his mother Barbara, his brother Gregory, and his sister Kathleen. Glen was also a former Navy SEAL and an experienced paramedic. And he put his life on the line many times, protecting Americans in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hotspots. In the end, he died the way he lived – with selfless honor and unstinting valor.

We condemn the attack that took the lives of these heroes in the strongest terms, and we are taking additional steps to safeguard American embassies, consulates, and citizens around the world. This violence should shock the conscience of people of all faiths and traditions. We appreciate the statements of support that have poured in from across the region and beyond. People of conscience and goodwill everywhere must stand together in these difficult days against violence, hate, and division.

I am enormously proud of the men and women who risk their lives every day in the service of our country and our values. They help make the United States the greatest force for peace, progress, and human dignity that the world has ever known. We honor the memory of our fallen colleagues by continuing their work and carrying on the best traditions of a bold and generous nation.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton comments on events in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, during the opening plenary of the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C., September 13, 2012.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 13, 2012

President Obama called President Mohamed Magariaf of Libya this evening, their first conversation since President Magariaf’s election last month. President Obama thanked President Magariaf for extending his condolences for the tragic deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, and two other State Department officers in Benghazi yesterday. He also expressed appreciation for the cooperation we have received from the Libyan government and people in responding to this outrageous attack, and said that the Libyan government must continue to work with us to assure the security of our personnel going forward. The President made it clear that we must work together to do whatever is necessary to identify the perpetrators of this attack and bring them to justice. The two Presidents agreed to work closely over the course of this investigation. The President reaffirmed our support for Libya’s democratic transition, a cause Ambassador Stevens believed in deeply and did so much to advance. He welcomed the election of a new prime minister yesterday to help lead the Libyan government’s efforts to improve security, counter extremism, and advance its democracy.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Libya’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ali Suleiman Aujali at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on September 12, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]