One year ago over 90 percent of Greensburg, Kansas was destroyed by an E5 tornado. This afternoon, President Bush came to Greensburg to give the graduation address at the local high school.Bush foolowed the class president and offered the attendees some poignant observations:
Minutes later, the President took the podium and asked the parents of graduates to stand for an ovation. They instilled in their children the fundamental values that gave them strength through hardship, he said, showing the world that "America's communities are stronger than any storm."
"A tornado one year ago broke the boards and bricks of your buildings. But it could not break the bonds of faith and family that held your town together," he said.
As camera shutters clicked, babies held their own babbled conversations and some audience members looked down as though in prayer, Bush told the graduates that their hometown will always be a source of stability and pride - wherever they go they will be able to rely on the family, faith and friends that surrounded them in Greensburg.
"Out of the devastation of the storm comes the will to rebuild with a free hand and a clean slate," he said, remarking on the green initiative that has marked the town's rebuilding efforts.
I visited Greensburg last summer while the rebuilding of the town was well underway.
Related posts:
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part one
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part two
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part three
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part four
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part five
My Kansas Kronikles: Greensburg, the fall and rise, part six
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