Families, town, president say goodbye to 29 miners killed in W.Va.

President Obama eulogizes 29 miners killed in an explosion in Beckley, W.Va., joining a community in mourning to say goodbye, to urge families to remember those who were lost, and to carry on.

The president comforts Linda Davis at the memorial service. One of her sons and two of her grandsons were among the 29 miners killed.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

One by one, Obama read the names of the 29 miners. To the families in front of him, he suggested seeking "the face of God, who quiets our troubled minds, mends our broken hearts and eases our mourning souls."

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

In his eulogy, President Obama sought to offer the understanding and sympathy of the country for the lives they had lost.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

At the end of the memorial, the headlamps of the helmets were turned on, one by one, to symbolize the light that would remain even after the miners are gone.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

Preston Phalin, 18, shows off the memorial tattoo he got to honor his step-brother Cory Davis, 20, who died in the April 5, 2010, disaster.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

In the first days after the accident, the disaster was so big it stopped life in Beckley, W.Va.: There were candlelight vigils, food deliveries to the families, viewings and funerals. As miner Robert Clark's funeral procession passed, his mother saw a Little League game freeze, the kids taking their caps off as a sign of respect. Now, the challenge for southern West Virginia has become living with it.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

In his eulogy, Obama marveled at the strength of the Beckley community, of the bonds that he said inspired the song "Lean on Me," what he called "an anthem of friendship, an anthem of community, of coming together."

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

Nathan Davis, 11, lost his brother Cory Davis in the mine accident. He's being held by his mother, Cindy Davis, at the family home.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

"How can we fail them?" Obama asked the hundreds assembled in what had once been the Beckley armory. "How can a nation that relies on its miners not do everything in its power to protect them?"

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

A wreath on the grave of Cory Davis bears the reflective safety tape that miners wear. Davis, 20, a fourth-generation coal miner, was the youngest victim of the April 5 explosion.

Michael Williamson-Washington Post

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Families, town, president say goodbye to 29 miners killed in W.Va.

President Obama eulogizes 29 miners killed in an explosion in Beckley, W.Va., joining a community in mourning to say goodbye, to urge families to remember those who were lost, and to carry on.

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