Hail To The Chief

The one thing I can honestly say about President Obama, he's not afraid to make a crowd wait.

I stood a mere thirty feet from The President last night as he made a speech to 500+ soldiers crammed into an airplane hanger. This was after the two hours we spent enjoying refreshments and the musical styling of an Army band that went by the name "Manifest Destiny". With a name like that, I sort expected them to be opening for a band named "Ethnic Cleansing" or some shit like that.

But terrible cover music aside, it was an entertaining evening. None of the dozen soldiers from my platoon that I went with had any idea who the VIP was that had landed in Bagram. We were told at 4 yesterday that we were gonna go see them, and sometime around 9:30 as we mingled with the hanger crowd, some Major got on stage and instructed us on what to do when General Patreus and The President walked on stage. That was the first we'd heard of it.

I wonder if The President knew we were ordered to cheer for him as he walked the stage....

It was around 11 o'clock in the evening, Afghanistan time, when he finally was introduced. It was just a little surreal to see him walking the stage in person, donned in an old brown leather flight jacket, for whatever reason.

Let's not kid ourselves. Whether or not you voted for Obama, and regardless of if you like him, the man is smart. And he knows how to give a well written speech.

It was typical "address the soldiers at war" speech. Everyone back home supports us. The President says thank you. Michelle, Sasha and the other one wish us the best during the holidays. He understands how hard the holidays are for soldiers, away from home and family. And even though he had to freeze federal pay raises, us soldiers are exempt from all that bull hockey. HA! Take that "normal" federal employees.

It was a good speech. It sucked just a bit that everyone that came along from my platoon disliked Obama. I got in a few arguments that ended with me calling someone an ignorant hick. But it didn't take away from the experience.

If only I didn't have that uncanny knack of not owning a camera when it matters most. A shame.

As The President told us, I tell you. Keep on keeping on.