Obama Marks End Of Iraq War

President Obama reminded citizens of his decision to end the Iraq war by visiting a Texas military base two years to the day after he formally declared the end of the US combat mission in the Middle Eastern country.

Obama visited the Fort Bliss Army post in El Paso on Friday, underscoring a point that the Democratic politician has made on his campaign trail — he made a promise to the the Iraq War, and kept it — reports NPR.

Obama also visited Fort Bliss when he announced the end of the US combat role on August 31, 2010. The White House announced the visit as officials business, not campaign related. Obama will also speak with troops on the base, participating in a round-table discussion with service members and military families.

Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, added that the stop at Fort Bliss highlights administration efforts to support US service members and their families in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama was also expected on Friday to sign an executive order to direct federal agencies on expanding their efforts to address the mental health needs of veterans, service members, and their families. It is also expected to increase measures aimed at preventing suicide of armed forces.

ABQ Journal notes that President Obama spoke in Virginia on Wednesday, citing how his rival considered ending the Iraq war “tragic.” Obama added that his Republican rival “doesn’t have a plan to bring home the 33,000 troops who will be coming home from Afghanistan next month. He likes to talk tough, but he doesn’t have a lot of details when it comes to these critical issues.”

In contrast, Obama has been repeating the following theme throughout the campaign:

“When I say I will end the war in Iraq, I will end it. When I say that we will go after (Osama) bin Laden, we’ll go after him.”

President Obama also added that, as long as he is commander in chief, “we will serve our veterans as well as they’ve served us. I mean it.” After commemorating the end of the Iraq war, President Obama will resume the campaign trail on Saturday.