Posted on 09/23/2004 6:29:12 PM PDT by armymarinemom
Troops leaving for Kuwait got a surprise troop greeting before heading out.
I pray this group will be the one that brings Zaqawi in, verify bin Laden's whereabouts, and that one-eyed dude arrested.
Godspeed soldiers.
Amen! Get the monsters.
Of course, when the pictures are incidental to being there with the troops, instead of the other way around, it shows.
God love George W. Bush.
Oh! Bless his heart. He is such a GOOD man.
Thank you for the ping. I saw this thread title in the articles list and passed it by not knowing it had pictures of the Commander in Chief mixing it up with some of his super troopers!
Went through Bangor a few weeks ago. Wish that would have been my flight.......... Sigh.
Great Photos!
These pictures really are AMAZING. Thanks so much for pinging. What a great thing for this President to do for these troops - a real morale booster. Looks like he might have been uplifted by their greeting to him too.
I also love the pic of them standing outside the door of the plane waving.
I was on my way home in DC when I heard the news report on my car radio (WMAL-ABC radio news) about an hour ago. What struck me about the reporter's recounting the event was how excited he sounded himself.
He said that the soldiers were elated, and erupted in loud cheers and applause when they realized that the president was there to greet them. The reporter said that the soldiers swarmed the president and were reaching out and asking the president to autograph just about anything they could get their hands on, some even asking him to sign their bags (baggage, backpacks); and he said that the president signed everything that they handed him.
In listening to the news report, it sounded to me like the reporter himself caught the soldiers' emotional high. He said the soldiers loved the president.
What a great gesture by our President. He loves our men and women in uniform and they love him.
These are things that draw little coverage by the media, but they mean so much to our troops, and President Bush knows this and this is why he does it. And to be honest, this is why I admire President Bush. No matter what differences I have with him on policy issues, I admire this President as much, if not more than Ronald Reagan. President Bush has had the kitchen sink thrown at him by the the Terrorists, the Democrats, the Press, Hollywood, and every left wing nutjob Author, and he stands tall after it all. Why this man is willing to endure such abuse is beyond me, we all know he would prefer being in Texas tending to his ranch, but his party called on him to run and he accepted, he gave it his all.
After 9/11, the entire world and Liberty itself called on George W. Bush to stand up, and he has in a profound way. When history is written, it's gonna be kind to George W. Bush
Are you kidding? Kerry hasn't even found it necessary to visit the wounded at Walter Reed, or at any military hospital. Nor has he found it necessary to comfort, the widows, children, mothers fathers, brothers or sisters of those who gave their lives. It makes me sick just to think about it
Of course since it is the Washington Post, they have their obligatory hand-wringing comments interspersed through the article; but for the most part it shows the positive attitude of the soldiers and their respect for their Commander-in-Chief...
"May God bless you all," the commander in chief said over the plane's public address system. "May God keep you safe." As he worked his way up and down the plane's aisles, posing for photographs, signing autographs and shaking hands, the happily surprised troops called out to him.
"That's my president, hooah!" shouted Sgt. Wanda Dabbs, a 22-year-old member of the 230th Area Support Group, a Guard unit from Tennessee. Others seconded her cheer.
(snip)
Whatever their concerns about the dangers ahead, the troops on the plane were joyous when their commander in chief appeared. "I can guarantee you right now this is the best thing that ever happened to me in my lifetime," said Sgt. 1st Class Bill Freeman of the 230th, a Goodyear Tires worker in Tennessee and a Bush supporter.
Soldiers interviewed on the plane were stoic about their mission. Spec. Eddie Latham, a factory worker, called Bush "a great leader" but added: "I'm nervous to go to Iraq."
(snip)
Most of the soldiers, dressed in desert camouflage fatigues, had cameras ready to take snapshots of Bush. The president, who donned a tie and suit jacket after his political rally, offered gentle smiles and words such as "I'm proud of you" and "thank you."
The charter plane carrying the soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., was scheduled to stop in Germany and Kuwait before the soldiers made their way into Iraq with their units: the 30th Brigade Combat Team, a Guard unit from North Carolina; the 414th Transportation Battalion, a reserve unit from South Carolina; the 230th, from Tennessee; and a few others.
Sgt. 1st Class Bobby Dailey, a Federal Express worker normally, was asked if the boisterous reception meant these were all Bush supporters. "We're commander-in-chief supporters," he clarified, and pointed out: "It ain't every day you land somewhere and the president gets on your plane."
(snip)
But 2nd Lt. Roxana Pagan-Sanchez, of the 30th, pronounced herself solidly with Bush after she got to meet the president. "He told me he's proud of me," said the mother of a 12-year-old she left behind in Raleigh, N.C. "I'm so proud of him."
Ping!
FYI Ping
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