Obama: I Think of Fallen Soldiers Every Day

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: White House

Hours after his surprise overnight visit to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to see the flag-covered caskets of 18 fallen Americans, President Obama said the trip was a reminder of a grim reality that bears on his thinking about American involvement in war.

"It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day, not only our troops but their families as well," Mr. Obama said at the White House. "The burden that both our troops and their families bear in any wartime situation is going to bear on how I see these conflicts, and it is something that I think about each and every day."

President Bush, Mr. Obama's predecessor, often met with the families of fallen soldiers privately, but he never visited Dover. In an email to CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, a former senior official in the Bush Administration wrote that such a trip was never considered because the arrivals of the fallen were then closed to the press. (Mr. Obama changed the rules so that families could decide if the caskets were seen publicly.)

Said the official: "Bush did say when it came to those asking why he didn't go to a military funeral that a) he didn't want the event/moment to be about him, and if he went, it would be, b) how do you choose which one to go to - and risk offending any other soldier's mom and dad for not going to his and c) he went often to Walter Reed and Bethesda as well as meeting with hundreds of families of the fallen - but [nearly] always in private."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by Sky017 October 30, 2009 7:54 AM EDT

The previous administration did not want any images of the 'transfer cases' and coffins on TV. They knew that history records that these images boosted negative opinion of the Vietnam war, and they didn't want the public to have negative views of the current wars.

It's good what Obama did. Even if it was to show that he is thinking about the soldiers amidst all these frivolous accusations of 'dithering.'

There are so many parallels with Vietnam and the current situation in Afghanistan, the Administration is doing the right thing to THINK FIRST about ALL options and factors.

And to all those 'experts' on TV. How can you be so definitive when you don't have access to all the top secrets which the Whitehouse has? Not even the reporters who go to Afghanistan have all the Intel, and neither these pundits on the sidelines or even some in the military. (The army works on a need-to-know-basis... they don't know everything.)

And right now, the biggest problem is that the Afghan people are not supportive of the US and just think that we are there propping up a corrupt government. Once the people are not on our side, they will do all manner of things to subvert our efforts.

Etched in my mind: Vietnamese Kid to US soldier, "Shoe shine, shoe shine?" moments later... "Boom!" Soldier dead. :-(

If the Afghan PEOPLE are not supportive of the US, it's going to be 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. Plus there are some Taliban who are good one week, and then another week they are the enemy. Major problem in Vietnam... fighting an enemy you can't see. How do our soldiers know who is Al Qaeda? They look like Taliban and even civilians. Simply/only adding troops doesn't fix these problems. If more troops are sent, some other measures need to be taken simultaneously.

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by jefleshman October 30, 2009 8:05 AM EDT: Very good post. Thank you. When the Afghan citizens do not want us I agree, we need to go. But I assure you to the best of my ability to know, that is not the case (the overwhelming majority, nearly 73% in just the two provinces I work in believe their government is working to better their future.

It takes time...but do not be mislead by those so called "news experts" here is some pretty darn good data assessments (you can draw your own conclusion from them on progress and "what the Afghans believe".

July 2009 Afghan survey conducted by the Asia Foundation: http://www.asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/Afghanistanin2009.pdf

End of year 2008 NATO/ISAF assessment (I expect the 2009 assessment to be much better): http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2009_03/20090331_090331_afghanistan_report_2009.pdf

Sep 09 Bookings Assessment: http://www.brookings.edu/foreign-policy/~/media/Files/Programs/FP/afghanistan%20index/index20090923.pdf

Please educate yourself, progress is slow but moving forward and getting better everyday here.

by Big Beachbum October 29, 2009 11:01 PM EDT

The president left from the White House incognito, hidden in a Blackhawk helicopter, the press that was on hand would have been there anyway to cover the returning soldiers since the ban was lifted earlier in the year, therefore this was not a photo-op. If any of you ever had the responsibility of one life in time of war, you would realize the disgrace you bestow on this somber moment with this thoughtless diatribe.

What has happened to this country?

As a Vet, I am appalled at the notion in this partisan distemper like a bunch of rabid idiots. I am ashamed of you all! These soldiers fought for America the USA, not partisan politics.

Have any of you ever written a letter, a letter to inform the family of a hero they, we, have lost?

Until you have, go back to watching your opinionated pseudo-news channel and convincing yourself that you have any idea what a Commander is thinking when the kids are wheeled past.

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by jefleshman October 30, 2009 5:23 AM EDT: Big,

Let me answer your question first and foremost:

Have any of you ever written a letter, a letter to inform the family of a hero they, we, have lost?

No letters but phone calls and I have met the Father's, mother's, brother's and sister's of the fallen. One, I tried to breathe life into him but it was not meant to be as he died in my arms.

Pres. Obama lifted the ban in Feb 09, however NOT one time since then has he visited Dover. Why? Why, now during this time? Maybe it was the greatest intentions, I do not know. I hope he is continuing what then Pres. Bush did, meet with family members personally without the news.

I think it is fine that he lifted the ban, but ashamed that he waited until now to actually go himself. Not to mention, how many Congressman or elected officials have done the same. We elected all our Congressman, I would hope they would all do the same!

Timing just was not good for the POTUS, but then again, maybe it was what was needed to put reality up close and personal.

Again, I do not know Pres Obama's reasoning to waiting until now to pay respects at Dover, but think waiting until now was not good timing.

I think Former Pres. Bush was spot on with not making it a media event focused on the POTUS, but instead like it should be of that focused on the living and honoring the lives of those serving others.

An excerpt from another site below:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/AP/Search/World/Default.aspx?id=744046

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Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, visited the families of hundreds of fallen soldiers but did not attend any military funerals or go to Dover to receive the coffins. In a 2006 interview with the military newspaper "Stars and Stripes," Bush said he felt the appropriate way to show his respect was to meet with family members in private.

Obama is in the midst of an intense, weekslong review of his war strategy in Afghanistan. He has upped the U.S. commitment there to 68,000 troops and is considering sending a large addition next year, but fewer than the 40,000 troops requested by his commander there, U.S. officials tell The Associated Press.


by nwowl October 29, 2009 8:09 PM EDT: I think it is beyond the pale that the President would use a visit to Dover as a photo-op. President Bush visited hundreds of wounded soldiers and the families of those killed in action without fanfare, publicity, and certainly not with photos/video. Disgusting especially in light of his dithering about what to do in Afghanistan.; Reply to this comment


by nwowl October 29, 2009 8:08 PM EDT: I think it is beyond the pale that the President would use a visit to Dover as a photo-op. President Bush visited hundreds of wounded soldiers and the families of those killed in action without fanfare, publicity, and certainly not with photos/video. Disgusting especially in light of his dithering about what to do in Afghanistan.; Reply to this comment

by donbl1 October 29, 2009 7:30 PM EDT

This photo-op is disconcerting.

The past President went to Dover and met with every family of a fallen soldier but never allowed photo-ops.

Photo-ops on such a solemn occasion just undoes what he "might" have been attempting to do...........

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by jefleshman October 29, 2009 7:42 PM EDT: I agree...his intentions could have been great, but why the media? It ruins any good intentions he may have had.

by USMC-Mom October 29, 2009 5:27 PM EDT

It's good to think of them, but I think you'd feel more if you did this "visit' more often. To see these fallen warriors of your's /our's come of the plane one after another, over & over might bring this home more.
Maybe I'm wrong.
I just want to know that they have every chance to come back home...all the help they needed. To know that they have the man/woman power & back up.
I want to know that if my son comes back in one of those planes that everyone did everything they could & had everything needed.

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by jefleshman October 29, 2009 5:57 PM EDT: Former Pres. Bush didn't want the event/moment to be about him... if he went, it would be.

Hmmmmm

Former Pres Bush logic was "spot on", I wonder how many people searched the names and read the stories of those serving, who were on that flight.

I wonder how many of you could say there names without trying to look them up on the internet (I know I couldn't).

Just my thoughts on the whole "Photo Op", I am not saying Pres. Obama has bad intentitions (however he stopped the ban on the media the morning before he went to Dover and it just so happens he is deciding on more troops?).

Anytime the POTUS goes somewhere so does the camera... in this case the camera and headlines are diverted from those who sacrificed to the POTUS. It is not his fault; it is just the nature of things now.

My prayers are with the living as they grieve and pray that someday my children and family does not have to be witness to a Flag draped coffin under these circumstances.

The three DEA agents killed were identified as:

Forrest Leamon age 37 and Chad Michael age 30 (both from Virginia)

Michael Weston age 37 of Washington. (Harvard Law Grad like Pres. Obama)

The military confirmed the name of only one of the soldiers whose transfer the President witnessed:

Sgt Dale R. Griffin, from Indiana (KIA in Afghanistan)


by USMC-Mom October 29, 2009 6:01 PM EDT: All the screw ups Bush did, he was good about the injured & fallen troopes. Like you said he didn't make it about him, but them.

God please protect our boys & girls