WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – Vice Adm. William Hilarides’ voice broke as he read 12 names, each followed by a bell toll, at a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the shootings here that claimed the lives of those named.
Hilarides, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command who was in the headquarters building on that fateful day, spoke at the solemn ceremony before a crowd of more than 2,500 people, a mixture of Navy civilians, officers and enlisted. The Navy’s top officer noted the diverse crowd in his remarks as he lamented the lost.
“The Navy family is a mosaic, and today that mosaic is missing pieces,” said Adm. Jon Greenert, chief of naval operations.
Those killed in the attack on building 197 were, Michael Arnold, Martin Bodrog, Arthur Daniels, Sylvia Frasier, Kathleen Gaarde, John “JJ” Johnson, Mary Knight, Frank Kohler, Vishnu “Kisan” Pandit, Kenneth Proctor, Gerald Read and Richard Ridgell.
In an emotional statement released Monday, Hilarides reflected onthe tragedy and the bravery of NAVSEA staff and law enforcement during the shootings.
“Demonstrated that day was not just unbelievable evil, but also incredible bravery and selflessness,” he wrote, going on to compare NAVSEA to a family that had been through a shared trauma.
“Over the past year I have been heartened beyond words to see our people come together to support one another,” he wrote. “The road to recovery has not been easy, but we’re on the right path and more importantly we’re not alone on that path.”
The Sept. 16, 2013, attack was carried out by Aaron Alexis, an unbalanced former sailor and Navy contractor who had shown signs of mental illness throughout his adult life, and in his time as a sailor. Alexis had multiple run-ins with the law and several incidents involving firearms, including one where he discharged a round through the ceiling and into the apartment of a neighbor with whom he had been feuding.
The senseless attack was ultimately stopped by two law enforcement officers who shot and killed Alexis after they drove him out from under the desk where he was hiding. One of them was a U.S. Park Police officer who spoke to The Washington Post on the occasion of the first anniversary of the attack.
The shootings raised questions about why Alexis was allowed to hold a security clearance, despite a history of run-ins with the law. A Navy report concluded the shootings may have been prevented had recent episodes of mental breakdowns been reported to authorities. Since then the Navy has reviewed its internal processes for security clearances, and the government as a whole is taking steps towards implementing a process of continuous evaluation for personnel who hold clearances.
Building 197 will be reoccupied by NAVSEA in February after extensive renovations. It has been renamed the Humphreys Building, after the renowned ship builder Joshua Humphreys, who designed the Navy’s first six frigates, including the USS Constitution.
