Obamas visit troops at Hawaii base's Christmas feast

OBAMA FOR USA

President Obama took one look at the lone turkey leg on the plate of Sgt. Dennis C. Rollins yesterday and did not believe it could possibly be enough Christmas chow to fuel the 24-year-old, 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Marine.

"He said, 'You're a big boy to eat that small plate,' " Rollins said moments after shaking hands with the commander in chief and first lady during a midday Christmas meal yesterday at Marine Corps Base Hawaii's Anderson Hall chow hall.

Rollins took the president's ribbing in stride.

"I laughed and smiled," he said.

It was the second Christmas Day visit to Marine Corps Base Hawaii for the first couple, who spent part of their first full day of their second Hawai'i Christmas vacation working out at the base's "Semper Fit" gym, beginning around 6:50 a.m.

The presidential motorcade left the base at 7:34 a.m. to return to the Obamas' five-bedroom, Kailua beachfront rental home adjacent to the Marine Corps base.

After the first couple returned to Kailua, the White House issued a statement from Kailua in response to reports of a Nigerian national suspected of trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit yesterday.

"The president was notified of the incident this morning between 9 and 9:30 Hawai'i time by the president's military aide," White House spokesman Bill Burton said. " The president is actively monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates."

The presidential motorcade returned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii just before 3:45 p.m., and the president and first lady began greeting about 100 military members and their families sitting down to a $7 Christmas meal that included a choice of turkey or roast beef; chicken gravy or brown gravy; potatoes or sweet potatoes; stuffing, vegetables, salad bar, drinks and soft-serve ice cream at Anderson Hall, which has been named the best chow hall in the Marine Corps for the past three years, base spokesman Maj. Alan Crouch said yesterday.

Several military members and their families said they decided to eat their Christmas meal on base in the hopes of seeing the president and first lady.

"I never had to walk through a metal detector to get to the chow hall before, so that was a tip they were coming," said Lance Cpl. Craig Cercone, 23. "We saw all the snipers on the roofs and all the federal agents walking around. But it was still a surprise."

The president and first lady spent several minutes shaking hands, thanking military members for their service and asking where they're from.

Even though Cercone and his three Marine buddies were dressed in civilian clothes, "we all popped up to parade rest," he said.
greetings and hugs

Michelle Obama was hugging the wives of military members as the president came over to the four Marines, who said, " 'Good afternoon, sir, Merry Christmas,' " Cercone said.

"He asked us all where we were from and if we had called our families and wished them a Merry Christmas," Cercone said. "The first lady came over a minute or two later and asked us how we were all doing and to tell our families that they wished them a Merry Christmas. It was very nice."

When Cercone told the couple he's from Rochester, N.Y., the president asked "how it is to not see snow at Christmas."

"It's very weird coming from New York where I'm usually out shoveling snow on Christmas," Cercone told The Advertiser. "It doesn't feel like Christmas here."

Moments after meeting the first couple, Cercone texted his mother and grandmother, who spent their Christmas visiting relatives in snowbound Buffalo, N.Y.

"My grandma is a huge Obama fan and so is my mother," Cercone said. "They were very excited."

The president was dressed in brown slacks and a blue shirt when he entered the mess hall from a side door, greeting the families with "Hi guys, Merry Christmas."

The first lady wore flats, a white sleeveless flowing dress that came to her knees and gold hoop earrings.

At one point, the president told the members of various military branches that "I'm proud of you guys."

Alexis K. Alexander, 25, of Waimanalo joined her fiance, Army Sgt. Willie Baker, 28, of Providence, R.I., for vanilla ice cream at the chow hall and brought along Alexander's 3-year-old cousin, Christin, whom the Obamas spent extra attention on.

"They were really friendly with my cousin," Alexander said. "They asked if Santa came to visit her and she shook her head 'yes.' They asked if Santa had brought her a doll and she shook her head 'yes.' They asked me how I was doing and wished me a Merry Christmas."

Baker and Alexander plan to marry on April 3.
a snappy salute

Marine Sgt. Vincent F. Aguilar, 22, of San Diego was one of the first non-commissioned officers to meet the president and first lady at Anderson Hall yesterday and wasn't sure what to do since he was dressed in civilian clothes.

"He was just passing by the tables and said, 'Merry Christmas' so I just snapped to and then I stood at parade rest," Aguilar said. "It's not every day you meet the president, so you don't know how to react. I was kind of excited and just said, 'Merry Christmas' back to both of them. I was a little bit intimidated."

And how did Rollins — the 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Marine — feel to be singled out for his size by the commander in chief?

"To have the president take the time out of his schedule to come down and meet and greet Marines during the holiday season," Rollins said, "it felt pretty good."

The first family had their own Christmas meal planned last night of roast beef, potatoes and other side dishes.

A White House spokesman said the president and first lady did not exchange gifts this year. But they are giving presents to daughters Sasha and Malia, as well as to Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng, her husband and their children.

Before their visit to Hawai'i, the White House said, Sasha and Malia got their father a sports-related gift.

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