other recent tragedies. as president, i have now grieved with five american communities ripped apart by mass violence. ft. hood. tucson. aurora. sandy hook. and now the washington navy yard. and these mass shootings occur against a backdrop of daily tragedies. as an epidemic of gun violence tears apart communities across america. from the streets of chicago to neighborhoods not far from here. and so once again we remember our fellow americans who were just going about their day. doing their jobs. doing what they loved. in this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country
the greatness of all who responded and stand with those who still grieve and provide them some measure of comfort once more. we pray for the memory of all those taken from us. nearly 3,000 innocent souls. our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away. the lives, that might have been. they left this earth, they slipped from our grasp, but it was written, what the heart has once owned and had it shall never lose. we pray for all those who have stepped forward in the years of war, diplomats who serve in dangerous posts as we saw last year on this day in benghazi, intelligence officials unseen and unheralded who protect us in every way, our men and women ununiform who defend this country that we love. this its path we have traveled together. these are the wounds that
legacy shines on in you, when you smile just like him, when you toss your hair just like her, when you foster scholarships and service projects that bear the name and of those we lost and make a better world, when i join the firehouse, put on the uniform or devote yourself to a cause greater than yourself, just like they did, that s a testimony to them and in your resilience, you ve taught us all there s no trouble we cannot endure and there s no calamity we cannot overcome. step forward in those years of war, diplomats who serve in dangerous posts as we saw this day last year in benghazi, intelligence professionals often unseen and unheralded who protect us in every way, and those in uniform who defend this country that we love.
only two buildings in the world will stand taller, the burj khalifa, at 2717 feet, followed by the clock tower hotel in saudi a ra. we have reports that tim tebow has been released. they traded up in the second round to pick geno smith out of west virginia. tim tebow spending just one year on the jets roster. did not have a very successful run at all. spending time on special teams and as the teams backup, certainly the most heralded and talked about backup quarterback probably in the history of the nfl. the media attention that he received, you just don t see that from a backup quarterback. but the new york post the first to report that tim tebow has been released from the jets.
things in the community. they re serving. they re making things happen. they re improving the lives of children and adults throughout our communities and they really do deserve service. quite frankly, many of us and i know many neighbors would agree, we can t really get done all the things we need to get done in government without these kinds of partnerships. so our hats are off to them today. we just want to thank them. mr. mayor, it is a public/private partnership. a lot of individuals out there, a lot of schools. there are also companies like deloitte, for instance, deloitte, and starbucks, working together with the united way, for instance, to help out storm ravaged areas because of sandy. sure. they re working hard trying to make a difference there. every day this work goes on and in many instances quite frankly it goes almost unnoticed, unheralded. but the communities that benefit, they recognize it. the individuals who are receiving service, when you see activities in ou