President Bush Personally Thanks Pentagon Troops

Yesterday the President made a point of greeting and personally thanking troops that work at the Pentagon. The article on AF.mil by Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez gave a brief look into the agenda for the President at the Pentagon. His first priority was to discuss the war in Iraq. After the meeting the President made a point of walking down the hall outside SECDEF's office for a personal "Hello!" The hallway was full of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines just ready (like the US Military is never ready!) to get a chance to shake the President's hand and to get a few moments of his time.

Staff Sergeant David Kolcun from the office of the Air Force Surgeon General said of his chance to see the President:

"I was so nervous. The Secret Service was talking to us and keeping it lively."

[Department of Defense photo by Helene C. Stikkel]

The President thanked them individually - Staff Sergeant Kolcun thanked the President for his service. Now, that's someone that gets the chain of command and the service that everyone plays in the Global War on Terror. As Staff Sergeant Kolcun says:

"I told him I also appreciate what he was doing. It was pretty neat [to] shake the hand of the commander in chief - and not just in a crowd - but a one-on-one handshake."

Senior Airman Erik Nelson of the Air Force Honor Guard and a Pentagon tour guide said about his one-on-one with the President:

"I asked if he'd watch the University of Texas [-vs-] University of South California [Rose Bowl] game today. He said he had a feeling the 'Horns' might pull it off."

Obviously, the President wasn't the only person there! Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace also shook hands with the troops.


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