When the phone rang in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve, a Denver sailor received a present even Santa couldn’t top.
President Barack Obama called to wish U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Luis Tunake a happy holiday.
The Denver native is stationed at Forward Operating Base Shrana, in the Paktika Province of eastern Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
Tunake was one of 10 deployed service members to receive a phone call from Obama, who thanked them for their honorable service.
“I was very surprised and excited when I got the call because this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak with our nation’s president,” Tunake said in a statement. “When we talked, he wished me a merry Christmas and thanked me for serving in the United States Navy.”
Tunake is a hospital corpsman serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Paktika.
The teams are a joint effort between civil and military operations to work with local Afghan leaders to improve security, reconstruction and the effectiveness of the Afghan government.
Projects in Paktika include road improvements and teaching goat herders how to harvest and sell cashmere, according to the USAID website.
