Virginia Beach, Va. – On Wednesday, employees at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Hampton Roads paid tribute to the 12 victims of the Washington Navy Yard shooting.
The memorial service was held at the NAS Oceana chapel. The CDSA’s chief information officer, Jim Setzer, says he and his staff worked closely for years with several of the victims.
“Everyone in my division was affected by the loss, Setzer said. “These folks were integral to many of our day-to-day operations and processes, so we knew them through e-mail, conference calls and in some cases, had close professional relationships with the deceased. We’re coping by talking openly about the loss, and continue to pray for their families, and for all of those whose lives have been turned upside down by this tragedy,” says Setzer.
Capt. Eric Tapp, Commanding Officer, Combat Direction Systems Activity, Dam Neck, made remarks at the service.
He offered words of comfort to those who are still dealing with this tragedy.
“I believe the right word is resilience – over the passage of time, we will individually seek our own solace via resilience. We will remember our friends, the sadness that this tragedy made us feel, and we will endeavor to use our memories to fuel our resolve to become better human beings; we will bounce back in our own way and in our time. This incident has tempered our thoughts, our feelings, our motivations, our behaviors, and our attitudes, but it will not cripple our resilience.”
The victims’ names were read aloud during the ceremony and each name was followed by the ringing of two bells which signifies the end of duty day in the Navy.
Funds have been set up for the families. For more information, click here.
