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OBAMA VISITS MARINE CORPS MESS HALL ON
CHRISTMAS --
President-elect Barack Obama spent over an hour
greeting
service men and women as they ate Christmas
dinner.
President-elect Barack Obama
spent part of his holiday visiting with military personnel
at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (Photo: AP) |
Story here...
http://www.politico
.com/news/stories/1208/16858.html
Story below:
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-------------------------
Obama with troops on Christmas
By CAROL E. LEE
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 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 was 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
pm. He waved to the people who had gathered and said, “hello,” before
heading back to his vacation home for his own family Christmas dinner.
-------------------------
posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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