Mourners pay homage to US shooting victims
Saturday, 11/08/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120811/world.htm#1
Oak Creek: With a heavy heart and a prayer on their lips, hundreds of mourners, including the Wisconsin Governor and the Punjab Chief Minister, today paid their final respects to the six Sikhs gunned down by a white supremacist at a gurdwara here.
Mourners gathered inside the Oak Creek High School gymnasium for the visitation and memorial service. Friends and family members brought the simple wooden caskets bearing the bodies of those killed into the school for their funeral.
The caskets were accompanied by some two dozen men, their heads covered in turbans. The men sang prayers during slow and emotional journeys from hearses to the gymnasium.
The memorial service began with rendering of Sikh spiritual hymns and slogans "Wahe Guru" amidst tight security at the premises. Flowers were arranged at the foot of each casket.
Hundreds of people made their way inside. Everybody took off their shoes and covered their heads. Worshippers were allowed back into the gurdwara for the first time since Sunday's attack yesterday.
The 40-year-old Wade Michael Page, an ex-army veteran, went on a shooting spree killing six Sikhs on Sunday before dying of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
A large number of top federal and state officials and political leaders including the US Attorney General Eric Holder attended the memorial service."Today is the most tragic day," said Badal as he thanked the federal and the state government and the local community for coming up the occasion.
As he described the sadness people felt in India and globally after the shootout, Badal was highly appreciative of the police officer, who countered the lone gunman.
Wearing an orange head scarf, his voice suffused with emotion, Walker told mourners that they are not alone.
"Today, we mourn with you, we pray with you and we support you," Walker said, standing by the open caskets.
"And I experienced love driving out hate when I visited the families of the victims and heard wonderful stories about the compassion of the victims," the Governor said.
