WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama enjoyed a quiet first Thanksgiving at the White House, telephoning U.S. servicemen and women stationed around the world and spending time in the company of his family and friends.
Obama placed calls from the Oval Office to 10 U.S. servicemen and women - two each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Marines and the Coast Guard - stationed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the Persian Gulf.
The commander in chief, who spent the past several weeks conducting an intensive review of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, called to wish them Happy Thanksgiving and to let them know that he and first lady Michelle Obama are "truly thankful for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the nation," according to a statement Thursday from the White House.
Obama plans next Tuesday to announce the results of that review - a new battle plan for Afghanistan, including an increase in U.S. forces and a strategy for ending America's military involvement there. Obama promised this week to "finish the job" started eight years ago, and will lay out the course for doing so in an address to the nation Tuesday from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
