Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Hosts Moment of Silence for Connecticut Victims

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett was joined today by First Lady Susan Corbett, Lieutenant Governor Cawley, members of his cabinet and staff to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

"We have heard tales of courage, of the principal who died trying to stop the gunman, the teacher who hid her children in a closet and then died while sending the gunman the other way," Corbett said.

"We have heard too about the courage of those who survived, of the teachers who stood with their children and guarded them in the face of horror.

"Courage joined forces with innocence one week ago and together they gave the only response we can offer in the face of mindless cruelty and meaningless violence.

"We cannot bring back the lost but we must never surrender our memories of them. We need to be wise but we need to know the wisdom of compassion for each other."

The governor also issued a proclamation declaring Dec. 21, 2012 as an official day of mourning in remembrance of those who were lost one week ago today.

"As we leave here today, I hope that after this moment of silence the first words each of us hears is something kind, something affirming, something that speaks to the better angels of our nature," Corbett concluded. "Let that be the echo of Newtown, Connecticut."

Media contact:  Kelli Roberts, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor