A United States Army soldier told President Trump during his visit on Christmas evening to the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq that he returned to the military because of him.
“And I am here because of you,” Trump replied.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders captured the moment. She tweeted after the visit:
“Powerful moment – Member of United States Army told the President he came back into the military because of him. And President Trump responded, ‘And I am here because of you.’ I met him after and he gave me the patch from his arm. Incredible. #TrumpTroopsVisit”:
The soldier is unidentified, but according to the patch he gave Sanders, he serves with the 3rd Cavalry “Brave Rifles” Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas.
Trump’s visit to Al Asad was the first to a combat zone during his tenure. The first lady, Melania, visited the base with the president.
Troops greeted Trump with other expressions of appreciation. When he stepped on stage to address several hundreds of them, they broke out in applause, cheered, and chanted “USA!”
Trump also visited the chow hall at Al Asad, where troops took selfies and photos with him:
Troops were all smiles as they posed with the president and first lady:
Trump next visited Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. There, some troops brought red “Make America Great Again” hats for the president to sign. One female service member brought a “Trump” banner to greet the president with, according to pictures that the White House press pool, who traveled with the president to both bases, shared on Twitter:
Dozens could be seen taking selfies with the president:
And yet even more:
Trump concluded his visit by saying he was honored to visit the “incredible” troops at Al Asad and Germany:
“One thing is certain, we have incredible people representing our Country – people that know how to win!” he tweeted.