Obama visits troops to say thanks
FORT LEE, Va. — In a farewell visit of sorts, President Obama on Wednesday told Virginiabased service members that the U.S. military is setting a good example for the rest of the country during a heated and divisive political campaign season.
The outgoing commander in chief thanked them for serving and said the U.S. military is the world’s best because “we’ve got the best people.”
“Sometimes, especially during election season, the country seems divided,” Obama told about 550 troops at Fort Lee, without elaborating further on the heated presidential contest between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
He praised the troops for setting a good example.
“You’re unified in your mission. You do your job. You look out for each other,” said Obama, who will leave office in January. “You remind us we’re one team, we’re one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That’s what you stand for.”
Obama reflected on his nearly eight years as president, saying that of all the privileges of the Oval Office, there’s none greater than serving as commander in chief of the finest military in the world.
“We have the strongest military because we have the best people. You inspire me and Michelle and the American people,” he said. “I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Obama occasionally makes such thank-you visits, meeting mostly recently with troops at Naval Station Rota during a July trip to Spain.
Similar stops have taken place over the years at bases in Texas, California and New Jersey, among others, where he meets with soldiers he has sent into harm’s way, most notably in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. leads a coalition of 60-plus nations working to defeat the Islamic State, which has footholds in Syria, Iraq and Libya.