WASHINGTON — With a formal dinner for the few, President Barack Obama on Wednesday paid solemn tribute to the many.
The president who opposed the Iraq war from its outset thanked those who fought its battles by sitting down to a candlelit meal with a small cross-section of the million-plus who served there over the past nine years.
Looking out over a sea of dress uniforms sparkling with medals attesting to years of wartime strife, Obama told the gathering: “In a culture that celebrates fame and fortune, yours are not necessarily household names. You are something more: the patriots who served in our name. And after nearly nine years in Iraq, tonight is an opportunity to express our gratitude and to say once more, ‘Welcome home.’ “
The faces of war were reflected in the 200 veterans and their guests who gathered in the East Room to dine on aged rib-eye steak, potato croquettes and chocolate crème brulee. They came from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and spanned generations, gender and all five branches of the military.
There was a 24-year-old sailor from Colorado, Petty Officer 3rd Class Max R. Rohn, who spent just five months in Iraq before losing part of his right leg in a blast. There was a 31-year-old Air Force sergeant from Georgia, J.H. Smith, who deployed to Iraq six times in five years and won the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Sgt. John-Mark Gladstone, a Marine whose parents live in Aurora, was also one of the invited service members. Gladstone is a native of Ghana.
But some veterans already are pushing for a more expansive national expression of gratitude.
“One meal isn’t nearly enough to extend the entire nation’s gratitude,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “Across the country, millions of Americans want to join the president and first lady in thanking Iraq veterans and their families.”
The veterans group has issued an open letter calling on the president to designate a National Day of Action to honor Iraq veterans with special events across the country.
