(CNN) -- Even as a masked gunman kept firing a hailstorm of bullets in a Colorado movie theater, acts of selflessness and heroism sprouted from all across the room.
Three of the 12 people killed died while shielding their girlfriends from the gunfire. And a young woman risked her life to aid her wounded friend, refusing to leave her side.
Such valor, President Barack Obama said, represents "what's best in us" and assure the country "that out of this darkness, a brighter day is going to come."
Remembering the Colorado shooting victims
Here are some of the tales of bravery:
Jonathan Blunk, 26
Cynthia Davis, center, visits the roadside memorial set up for victims of the Colorado shooting massacre across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Monday, July 30, in Aurora, Colorado. Twelve people were killed in the theater early July 20 during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." Suspect James Holmes was taken into custody shortly after the attack. More photos: Colorado movie theater shooting
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Girlfriend: Shooting victim is a hero
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The mind of suspect James Holmes
What was the Colorado shooter's motive?
Blunk, a Navy veteran, was killed trying to provide cover for his girlfriend, Jansen Young.
"He laid up against me and had the other side of my body against the concrete seating, and I was pretty much boxed in," Young said.
"He is a hero. And he was a hero before this, and before I met him. All he wanted to do was serve his country and help people in need," Young said. "He used to say he was born to serve his country, and he just really is. He's a true hero."
Blunk is survived by two young children. Blunk's former wife, Chantel Blunk, said their 4-year-old daughter now takes comfort in calling her father's cell phone and hearing his voice on his voice mail message.
One victim's account: What it was like in the theater
Stephanie Davies, 21, and Allie Young, 19
"When the gunman initially came in and threw the (incendiary) canisters, he threw them only a few feet away from Allie and Stephanie," Obama said in a speech in Aurora on Sunday, shortly after meeting with the two friends. "Allie stood up, seeing that she might need to do something or at least warn the other people who were there, and she was immediately shot."
The bullet pierced a vein in Allie's neck, which immediately started spurting blood.
Focusing on the victims, not the shooter
"As she dropped down on the floor, Stephanie -- 21 years old -- had the presence of mind to drop down on the ground with her, pull her out of the aisle, place her fingers over where Allie had been wounded, and applied pressure the entire time, while the gunman was still shooting," the president said. "Allie told Stephanie she needed to run."
But Stephanie refused to go, and instead used her other hand to call 911.
When police arrived, Stephanie and several others carried Allie across two parking lots to a waiting ambulance.
Allie is expected to recover.
"I don't know how many people, at any age, would have the presence of mind that Stephanie did, or the courage that Allie showed," Obama said. "And so as tragic as the circumstances of what we've seen ... are, as heartbreaking as it is for the families, it's worth us spending most of our time reflecting on young Americans like Allie and Stephanie, because they represent what's best in us, and they assure us that out of this darkness, a brighter day is going to come."
Victims of Colorado massacre remembered with poignant stories
Matt McQuinn, 27
McQuinn died shielding his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, during the shooting, family attorney Rob Scott said.
Samantha Yowler was shot in the knee but is expected to make a full recovery, Scott said. Her brother Nick, who also was trying to protect her from the bullets, also survived.
McQuinn and Samantha Yowler grew up in the Miami Valley region of Ohio, according to CNN affiliate WKEF.
McQuinn's stepfather, David Jackson, told CNN affiliate WHIO that the young couple was planning to move back to Springfield, Ohio.
"I know he's a hero," Jackson said. "He and Sam were very much in love and planning their life together. I am sure they were thinking very seriously of getting married soon."
'Words are... inadequate,' Obama tells families of Colorado shooting victims
Alex Teves, 24
Teves was killed while protecting his girlfriend, Amanda Lindgren.
"I wouldn't be here without him," Lindgren said.
Teves graduated in June with a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver, where he met Lindgren.
His best friend, Ryan Cooper, recalled Teves' kindness.
"We love going to football and basketball games together," Cooper said. "As much as he loved that, he would take time and miss those games to mentor kids in the community who didn't have dads and were just really hurting."
Share your tribute to the victims on CNN iReport.
CNN's Anderson Cooper contributed to this report.
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People visit the roadside memorial set up for victims of the massacre on Monday.
Visitors pray around a cross at the memorial across the street from the theater on Saturday, July 28.
Jeremy Blocker displays a new tattoo honoring the victims.
Members of Alex Sullivan's family embrace at a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26.
Hello Kitty-themed flowers are sent to shooting victim Micayla Medek's funeral Thursday in Denver.
Pallbearers carry Micayla Medek's coffin during her funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church on Thursday.
People visit a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26, in Aurora, Colorado.
Angella Aquilis, left, and Maria Olivas mourn together at a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater Wedesday, July 25.
Yvonne Amaro, 9, prays for those injured and killed as she visits the memorial on Wednesday.
Carrie Hensley, left, and Hailee Hensley mourn together on Wednesday.
Kevin Flynn, left, Aurora Police top brass division chief, and Cmdr. Jack Daluz visit the makeshift memorial.
A couple embraces as "Dark Knight Rises" star Christian Bale and his wife, Sandra Blazic, wait to place flowers at the memorial on Tuesday.
Bale places flowers at the memorial while other mourners look on.
Visitors pay tribute Tuesday, July 24, at the makeshift memorial.
A cross stands at the makeshift memorial for victims across the street from the Century 16 theater on Tuesday.
Greg Zanis of Aurora, Illinois, carries two of the 12 crosses he made for a makeshift memorial to the victims of last weekend's mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday, July 22.
Greg Zanis writes the names of the victims of last weekend's mass shooting on the crosses before erecting them at the memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday. Zanis, a carpenter, drove all night from Illinois to deliver the crosses.
Parishioners pray during morning Mass, remembering victims of the theater shooting, at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Sunday.
Angie Terry of Alabama prays next to a white wooden cross erected for victims.
A man pauses before the crosses at the memorial near the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday.
President Barack Obama embraces Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as Sen. Mark Udall, left, and Sen. Michael Bennet look on during a visit to the University of Colorado Hospital on Sunday.
Mourners bow their heads in prayer during the vigil for the victims of the Aurora shooting.
A woman is overcome with emotion during the vigil.
Tiffany Garcia, right, and her 6-year-old daughter, Angelina Garcia, cry on Saturday, July 21, as they look at a memorial for the victims of Friday's shooting.
People pray at a cross erected at the makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 theater on Saturday.
Family, friends and former classmates of movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik gather for a memorial service at Gateway High School on Saturday.
Boik and his girlfriend were at the midnight showing of 'The Dark Knight Rises' when a gunman killed Boik and 11 other people.
Movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik's girlfriend, Lasamoa Croft, center, embraces his mother during the memorial service.
Eman Alexander, 17, pins a ribbon on his shirt while joining family, friends and former classmates to honor shooting victim A.J. Boik.
Denise Toepel of Denver sheds tears while visiting a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday, July 21.
Handwritten signs decorate the makeshift memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday.
Gerald Wright, 24, relights candles that have blown out at the victims' memorial across from the movie theater.
Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jajuan Mangual lowers the American flag on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to half-mast on Saturday. One U.S. Navy sailor was killed in the shooting and another injured.
Two women mourn near the theater on Saturday.
Alicia Prevette, left, and Paul Stepherson attend a vigil for the victims Friday at the Century 16 movie theater.
A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial where the victims of the massacre are mourned.
Mourners hold hands at a vigil near the theater.
Mourners hug as they grieve the loss of the victims.
A group of teenagers stand behind a sign that reads "Strength."
Dara Anderson, left, and Monique Anderson cry during a candlelight vigil across the street from the crime scene.
A woman holds a lit candle at a makeshift memorial.
Marietta Perkins of Denver prays for victims and their families.
Lonnie Delgado, right, hugs Heaven Leek during a prayer.
A mourner grieves on the curb during a memorial service.
People hug during a vigil for the victims.
Handwritten consolation letters lie beneath flowers at a makeshift memorial.
Nathan Mendoza, left, and Melissa Clark sit on the grass during a vigil.
Flags, flowers and candles make up a memorial site.
Two mourners sit on the ground at a vigil.
A sign prevents moviegoers from wearing masks or bringing in props to the AMC Arapahoe Crossing 16 movie theater in Aurora.
A woman looks at a makeshift memorial after attending a candlelight vigil.
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