The president addressed about 580 active duty service men and
women for about three minutes, wishing them a "Mele Kalikimaka,"
and then spent time talking to troops individually and posing
for photographs.
Obama told the troops assembled in the Anderson Hall dining
facility that he had spent part of Christmas Eve speaking with
10 members of the military, stationed in Afghanistan, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
"It was just a sampling of the incredible sacrifice that all of
you and your families make every day," Obama said.
The White House said earlier the service members wounded on
Saturday during an aborted rescue mission in South Sudan had
been among those Obama had called.
Four military personnel were injured when their aircraft were
fired upon during a mission to evacuate American citizens from
chaotic South Sudan.
In an audio and internet message earlier on Wednesday Obama
lauded the troops returning from service overseas.
As 2013 draws to a close "fewer of our men and women in uniform
are deployed in harm's way than at any time in the last decade,"
Obama said, citing the end of the war in Iraq and a winding down
of action in Afghanistan.
"For many of our troops and newest veterans, this might be the
first time in years that they've been with their families on
Christmas," he said.
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who have been
spending Christmas at home in Delaware, visited injured military
members at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near
Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Obama used the Christmas Day broadcast as a chance to call
Americans to volunteer in their communities.
"For families like ours, that service is a chance to celebrate
the birth of Christ and live out what He taught us — to love our
neighbors as we would ourselves; to feed the hungry and look
after the sick; to be our brother's keeper and our sister's
keeper."
The Obamas recorded the greeting at the White House before
departing on Friday for a two-week vacation in Hawaii.
The White House said the Obamas spent Christmas morning opening
presents and singing carols.
(Reporting by Ros Krasny; editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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