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Obama grateful to troops for sacrifices
Source: Agencies |
December 27, 2010, Monday
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US President Barack Obama capped a quiet Christmas on Saturday with a surprise visit to a Marine base to thank United States troops for the sacrifices they've made, including being away from their families at the holidays.
The president, along with his wife, Michelle, spent more than an hour shaking hands and hugging service members who had arrived for Christmas dinner at the mess hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It's the third year in a row the Obamas have visited the base on Christmas.
The president, dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and dark grey pants for the most visible outing of his Hawaiian vacation thus far, made no formal remarks, instead greeting service members individually. He told one athletic-looking man that he should join Obama's basketball team so the president could avoid getting an "elbow in the lip", a reference to the injury the president suffered during a game last month.
With US troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other outposts around the world, the Obamas also used the president's weekly radio and Internet address to encourage Americans to find ways to support service members during the holiday season.
"Let's all remind them this holiday season that we're thinking of them, and that America will forever be here for them, just as they've been there for us," the president said.
Mrs Obama, who has made working with military families one of her top priorities as first lady, said Americans don't need to be experts in military life in order to give back to those who serve their country. She urged the public to reach out through their schools and churches, or volunteer with organizations that support military families.
"Anybody can send a care package or pre-paid calling card to the front lines, or give what's sometimes the most important gift of all: simply saying thank you," she said.
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, spent Christmas in Washington, where they visited wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Obamas and daughters Malia and Sasha are staying at a luxurious oceanfront home in Kailua. The first family celebrated Christmas with a small circle of friends and family, including some of Obama's childhood friends and the president's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives here on Oahu, the island where Obama was born and spent much of his childhood.
The Obamas dined on steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and pie, and the sports-obsessed president got a chance to relax and watch some NBA basketball.
The president's Christmas was been far quieter than last year's holiday, when a 23-year-old Nigerian man allegedly attempted to blow up a plane bound for Detroit. The incident raised questions about the nation's terror readiness and consumed the rest of Obama's vacation.
So far, Obama's outings in Hawaii have been mostly to the gym and golf course.
The president, along with his wife, Michelle, spent more than an hour shaking hands and hugging service members who had arrived for Christmas dinner at the mess hall at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It's the third year in a row the Obamas have visited the base on Christmas.
The president, dressed casually in a short-sleeved shirt and dark grey pants for the most visible outing of his Hawaiian vacation thus far, made no formal remarks, instead greeting service members individually. He told one athletic-looking man that he should join Obama's basketball team so the president could avoid getting an "elbow in the lip", a reference to the injury the president suffered during a game last month.
With US troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other outposts around the world, the Obamas also used the president's weekly radio and Internet address to encourage Americans to find ways to support service members during the holiday season.
"Let's all remind them this holiday season that we're thinking of them, and that America will forever be here for them, just as they've been there for us," the president said.
Mrs Obama, who has made working with military families one of her top priorities as first lady, said Americans don't need to be experts in military life in order to give back to those who serve their country. She urged the public to reach out through their schools and churches, or volunteer with organizations that support military families.
"Anybody can send a care package or pre-paid calling card to the front lines, or give what's sometimes the most important gift of all: simply saying thank you," she said.
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, spent Christmas in Washington, where they visited wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Obamas and daughters Malia and Sasha are staying at a luxurious oceanfront home in Kailua. The first family celebrated Christmas with a small circle of friends and family, including some of Obama's childhood friends and the president's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who lives here on Oahu, the island where Obama was born and spent much of his childhood.
The Obamas dined on steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and pie, and the sports-obsessed president got a chance to relax and watch some NBA basketball.
The president's Christmas was been far quieter than last year's holiday, when a 23-year-old Nigerian man allegedly attempted to blow up a plane bound for Detroit. The incident raised questions about the nation's terror readiness and consumed the rest of Obama's vacation.
So far, Obama's outings in Hawaii have been mostly to the gym and golf course.
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