Obama: 'When bullets flew, officers did not flinch'

DALLAS -- A memorial service for the five police officers killed last Thursday night during an ambush wrapped up in downtown Dallas with speeches from President Obama and former President George W. Bush.

Obama, the First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden arrived in North Texas just after noon Tuesday to mourn and pay tribute to officers Brent Thompson, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Smith, Patrick Zamarripa, and Michael Krol.

Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush joined them at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where an interfaith choir set the tone, answering hatred with beauty.

“Goodness is stronger than evil,” they sang to open the service.

Mayor @mikerawlings takes podium first as Obama, Bush and Biden sit behind him. pic.twitter.com/3CxSNnCd4z

— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) July 12, 2016

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings opened the ceremony with powerful words, saying unity is what's needed to fight against violence and separatism. He received a standing ovation when he said he was "in awe" of the city's police department.

"To wage this battle against violence and separatism must be about unity," he said.

The mayor also spoke to the citizens of Dallas directly, saying, "We will weep, we will not whine. We have too many bridges to build that we will cross together."

Prayers and music bridged the gap between speakers.

.@FLOTUS and President George W. Bush shook hands with the pastor, rabbi and Imam who just delivered prayers at the Dallas memorial service.

— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) July 12, 2016

Sen. John Cornyn took the podium to speak next.

"Today our family and this great nation shares the grief of Dallas," he said. "The city of Dallas shall overcome the evil from that day."

A pastor, an imam, and a rabbi prayed with the DPD blue. Each prayer was an echo of the other.

"We will weep on. We will live on."

Then, former President George W. Bush, who lives in Dallas, took the podium.

"Today the nation grieves," he said. "But those of us that love Dallas and call it home have had five deaths in our family."

• READ: President Bush's full remarks

"These slain officers were the best among us," he continued. "With their deaths, we have lost so much. We are grief-stricken, heartbroken, and forever grateful."

Former President Bush said Mayor Rawlings and Dallas Police Chief David Brown have been "mighty inspirational for the rest of the nation. They called upon the crowd and the nation to share in a spirit of unity."

"Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions," the former president said.

"We do not want the unity of grief or the unity of fear. We want the unity of hope."

Police chief David Brown received a greater ovation than either president on stage. Mayor Rawlings introduced him as “my rock.”

Chief Brown quoted Stevie Wonder's "As."

"Change your words into truths and then change that truth into love
And maybe our children's grandchildren
And their great-great grandchildren will tell
I'll be loving you."

And then he introduced President Barack Obama, who spoke for nearly an hour. He honored each officer by name for their character, and collectively for their devotion.

"Our entire way of life in America depends on the rule of law,” the president told the crowd of about 2,000.

"We're here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow Americans," President Obama said.

"For the men and women who protect and serve the city of Dallas, last Thursday began like any other day. The moment you put on that uniform, you answer a call that in any moment can put your life in harm's way."

President Obama: "These men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves."

— WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) July 12, 2016

The president called last week's attack "an act not just of demented violence, but of racial hatred."

• READ: President Obama's full remarks

"I know that Americans are struggling right now with what we've witnessed over the last week. We must reject such despair. I'm here to insist we're not as divided as we've seemed."

He also honored Chief Brown and Mayor Rawlings, commenting on how a black man and white man worked together in the aftermath of the shooting. He also honored the police officers who were there that night.

.@POTUS: "When the bullets started flying, the men and women of the Dallas police.. they did not flinch." pic.twitter.com/JRcuUXFEJV

— WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) July 12, 2016

President Obama: "Let us love not with words or speech, but in actions and in truth."

— WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) July 12, 2016

At one point during the 40-minute speech, the president focused on race relations in the country.

"Race relations have improved dramatically in my lifetime. Those who deny it are dishonoring the struggles that achieved that."

"We do have control over how we respond to the world," he said. "We have control over how we treat one another."

He then turned his thoughts towards the protests.

""If you're black, you're more likely to be pulled over, serve longer sentences, more likely to get the death sentence,” he said. “The deepest fault lines of our democracy have been exposed and even widened.”

And then right to our shortcomings:

"As a society we choose to underfund schools, ignore impoverished neighborhoods,” he said.

Obama said we flood communities with so many guns that it’s easier for a kid to get a Glock than to get a computer or a book. Mourners stood and applauded when President Obama said, “We ask police to do too much. We ask too little of ourselves.”

All speakers urged Americans to harness the pain for good. They said Dallas set the example, especially the city's police officers. Their message was clear: The officers die in vain only if we let them by our own failures.

In the end, it was mourning with majesty and purpose. As the president finished his remarks, the choir stirred the crowd with "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It sounded as if every voice in the hall joined in.

The president and first lady, along with the vice president and his wife, later met with the families of the fallen officers.

A powerful moment right now as leaders from both parties call for understanding and unity. pic.twitter.com/PHb2Df8v2a

— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) July 12, 2016