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Home : Features : 2009 : Presidential Inauguration

## Obama Hails Troops, Families at Commander in Chief's Ball

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, (01/21/2009) - President Barack Obama saluted U.S. troops and their families, paying special tribute to wounded warriors and families of the fallen, during an inaugural ball last night that included a live videoconference with deployed Illinois National Guardsmen.

"Tonight isn't simply about the inauguration of an American president," Obama told the audience at the Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball. "It's a celebration of our military and our military families, so going  forward you will have our support and our respect."

The ball, co-hosted by the senior enlisted advisors of the five branches of  the armed forces, and attended by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of  the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the service chiefs, was among 10  official inaugural balls the president and first lady Michelle Obama  attended last night. 

Obama pledged that he, along with Defense  Secretary Robert M. Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K.  Shinseki, would work tirelessly to serve thoise who have served the  nation in uniform. 

"Every single day that I am in the White  House, I will try to serve you as well as you are serving the United  States of America,"Obama told the group, which included about 300  wounded warriors, families of fallen servicemembers and military  families. 

"It is wonderful to be surrounded by some of the  very best and bravest Americans,"Obama said. "Your courage, grace and  your patriotism inspire us all. To you, and to all those watching  around the world, know that as president, I will have no greater honor  or responsibility than serving as your commander in chief."

Obama said the celebration was made somber by the knowledge that many U.S. troops are serving in harm's way. 

He spoke to some of those troops -- members of the Illinois National  Guard's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team -- during a live video feed  from Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Bowman,  the top enlisted soldier in Task Force Phoenix, rendered the new  commander in chief his first presidential "hooah"and introduced his  fellow soldiers, many from the Chicago area.

Bowman invited Obama to return to Kabul to "sit down with some of the great Afghans we work with."

"As we develop their security forces,"he continued, "come on back when you get a chance, sir."

Obama  bantered with the troops about Chicago neighborhoods and baseball  teams, then turned serious as he thanked them for their service and  pledged his support.

"No matter where you are from, we are all  grateful to you for your outstanding service,"he said. "You make us  proud, and we are going to do everything we can to make your work go  smoother.

Obama told the troops they need to know that "every  single American, regardless of party, regardless of what their politics  are, support you, and will always support you."

As the United  States fights two wars and faces dangerous threats to its security, "we  depend on the men and women of our armed forces to keep us safe,"he  said. 

Obama noted that service and sacrifice extend to the families that stand behind the men and women in uniform.

"Every  time a serviceman [deploys], there is an empty seat at the table back  home, and a family that has to bear an extra burden,"he said. "And  that's why tonight we don't just salute our troops, we salute the  military families who have earned the respect of a grateful nation."

The  president reiterated the call he made during his inaugural speech for  the United States to embrace the deeply held values upon which the  nation's foundation was built. "While the tests we face are new, and  the ways in which we meet them may be new, the values on which our  success depends are old,"he said.

"Those values -- like hard  work and honesty, courage and tolerance, loyalty and patriotism - those are values that are embodied in our armed forces,"the president  said.

National Guard Bureau

                            -  Guard nerve centers key to inaugural, national charge   
                            -  Guard plays key role in inauguration   
                            -  Inauguration Represents Ultimate Change-of-Command Ceremony   
                            -  Biden Returns from Fact-Finding Mission to Middle East   
                            -  Guardmembers flow in for inauguration support; first stop – in-processsing   
                            -  Minutemen ready, once again, for inaugural history   

Illinois

                            -  Illinois Air Guardsman has tuba, will travel (Updated)   

Maryland

                            -  Maryland Guard provides security for Obama's whistle stop in Baltimore   

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Related Links

                            -  Potomac Air Monthly (PDF)   
                            -  DC Guard   
                            -  DoD Inauguration 2009   
                            -  FEMA   
                            -  Ready.gov   

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