Obama Awards Purple Hearts at Walter Reed

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: White House

(AP)

President Obama visited with 19 soldiers during a visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center this afternoon, the White House said. He also spent time with three families of soldiers in the Intensive Care Unit and hospital staff.

In addition, the president awarded two Purple Hearts, according to the White House.

The visit is the president's first to Walter Reed since entering office, though he went as president-elect on January 19th. It was planned before this week's shootings at the Fort Hood Army post.

Mr. Obama made a wounded warrior visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital on June 1, CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports, and spent about an hour visiting 26 inpatients and 30 outpatients and presenting Purple Heart medals to two of them.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the White House "regularly hosts" wounded warriors.

No pictures are being released from the visits because, according to White House aides, the president considers them sacred and private.

The president plans to attend a memorial service at Fort Hood when one is scheduled.

(Pictured: President Obama walks on the South Lawn of The White House after his trip to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington.)

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by tahoedeadhead November 8, 2009 1:13 PM EST: All of you neocons should get over it. you lost. YOU can spin the election any way you want to but you lost. Obama is cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration. At least he is trying for bipartisanship. The republican idea of bipartisanship is " My way or the Highway". My philosophy is "what goes around comes around".; Reply to this comment


by hakori November 7, 2009 11:52 AM EST: Just wanted to check out the posts to see if any "conservatives" had made nasty comments, and I wasn't dissapointed. They're so predictable!; Reply to this comment


by bokoo143 November 6, 2009 11:32 PM EST: PVperson2 You missed the whole point of the post..but we all know you can't defend Obama, we see him clearly.; Reply to this comment


by bokoo143 November 6, 2009 8:17 PM EST: He didn't want pictures or videos of handing out purple hearts today to our heros because he says he considers them sacred and private?

1) thank you heros and please get well soon, we worry about you folks out there in Iraq and Afghanistan every day and tweet and protest and complain our hearts out to the president to do SOMETHING. I'm sorry we aren't trying hard enough.

2) BO gave a 2 minute thank you to a group of staffers and a special shout out to one of his Congressional Medal of Honor winners..2 minutes he was joval and flashed his usual Crest winning smile, the nation and world stood horrified and this joker has no idea of the mistake he just made?

3)There were plenty of WH pr photos and video of his sudden trip to Dover Air Force Base to view the remains of our deceased American heros. It was a photo-op, made-for-media event!He used the dead remains of our brave military personnel for his own political means!

I am disgusted.; Reply to this comment