Honoring the fallen
Obama salutes victims of Afghanistan helicopter attack
WASHINGTON – The fallen come home here with such dignity that every American flag on every case of remains is inspected for the tiniest smudge. The dead are treated with reverence by everyone. Including their commander in chief.
For the second time in his presidency, Barack Obama was at Dover on Tuesday, saluting troops who died on his watch.
Sadness hung everywhere. For Obama, it was a day to deal with the nation’s single deadliest day of the decade-long war in Afghanistan. For the families of the 30 Americans who were killed, it was a time to remember the dreams their loved ones had lived, not the ambitions that died with them.
Obama solemnly climbed aboard the two C-17 cargo planes carrying the fallen home from Afghanistan. Their helicopter apparently had been hit by an insurgent’s rocket-propelled grenade.
Later, the president consoled their grieving families.
The country didn’t see it.
There will be no lasting, gripping images this time of Obama assuming his office’s grimmest role. No family could give permission for media coverage, the military said, because no individual bodies had been identified yet.
The helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday was that horrific.
The troops who died had been flying on a mission to help fellow forces under fire. An insurgent shot down the helicopter.
For Americans with no sons, daughters, other relatives or friends in the military, this punch seemed to blindside everyone. The war is supposed to be winding down, and the face behind it, Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, was killed months ago by elite U.S. forces.
Saturday’s blow claimed 22 Navy SEALs from the same special forces team that pulled off the remarkable mission in Pakistan that ended bin Laden. None of those killed on the helicopter were part of the bin Laden raid, but the connection, along with the size of the loss, was deeply felt.
The troops who died were described as intensely patriotic, talented and passionate about the risks and responsibilities that came with their jobs.
Obama was driven to a building on base where about 250 family members and fellow servicemen and women of the dead had gathered, the White House said. He spent about 70 minutes with family members, offering his condolences and gratitude for their sacrifice and service.