Obama with troops on Christmas
KAILUA, Hawaii — President-elect Barack Obama spent over an hour greeting service men and women as they ate Christmas dinner at the mess hall on a military base about ten minutes from the beachfront home where his family is vacationing over the holidays.
It was Obama’s first formal meet-and-greet with rank-and-file members of the military since winning the election. He thanked them for their service and wished them a Merry Christmas. Obama took his time shaking hands and making small talk with the diners, who represented seven Marine and Navy units.
“Good to see you man," Obama said to one.
"Thanks for your service," he said to another.
Wearing dark khaki slacks and a short-sleeve blue button-down shirt, Obama entered Anderson Hall on Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday.
Obama worked the left side of the room, where diners sat at about 25 tables with red or white table cloths, “Seasons Greetings” placemats and green napkins. They had already filled their plates at the buffet with traditional Christmas fare — turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and, adding a splash of local flavor, pineapple.
Some of them were joined by their families. Many appeared to be in their early 20s at most. Others were elderly, perhaps retired from the military.
The president-elect stopped to talk for as long as a minute at some tables. He nodded and placed both of his hands on his hips as he listened. He posed for photos.
"Hey guys," Obama said to a table. "Where are you from?"
ESPN's NFL highlights played in the background on about ten flat screen TVs hanging throughout the long, rectangular room.
As Obama approached another table of four young men, one of them had a newspaper clipping for him to sign. The president-elect appeared to inquire where each hailed from as well. "So this is the East Coast table," he said as he shook one of their hands.
Reporters were only allowed inside the mess hall for seven of the 68 minutes Obama spent greeting diners there. During that time they were clustered at a distance from the president-elect and could only hear bits and pieces of the conversations he was having at the tables.
But the service men and women seemed to enjoy having Obama crash their Christmas dinner — even though he didn’t eat.
Some seemed to be sending text messages from their cell phones when it became clear Obama was about to enter the room. They rose to their feet when Obama approached their tables and extended his hand.
"Congratulations," one of the service members said as Obama greeted his table.
One elderly woman with two orange leis hanging from her wrist stood up briefly when it seemed the president-elect was coming toward her table. But she sat back down when he went to a different one
Meanwhile, a crowd of about 50 people waited for the president-elect outside the mess hall, where a red sign on the wall listed holiday hours as 15:00 - 17:00.
Obama was speaking with two men in uniform as he left the hall around 5:15 p.m. He waved to the people who had gathered and said hello before heading back to his vacation home for his own family Christmas dinner.
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He's not even the President yet, but he takes time out of his vacation to spend a few holiday moments with some troops and their families on Christmas, what an amazing man.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Obama with troops on Christmas
