Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle, was making his first visit to Fort Bragg.
President Barack Obama marked the end of the Iraq war with a tribute to the troops who fought and died in a conflict he opposed from the start.
Accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, the president travelled to Fort Bragg in North Carolina to address service members and their families as he brings the war to a close.
Obama told troops that the US is peacefully leaving behind a stable nation and closing "one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military".
He added: "There is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long."
At a base that has seen more than 200 deaths over nearly nine years of fighting in Iraq, Obama highlighted the human side of the war, reflecting on the bravery and sacrifices of US forces now on their way back home.
All US troops are to be out of Iraq by 31 December, though Obama has pledged that the US will continue to help Iraq as it faces an uncertain future in a volatile region of the world. Even as majorities in the US public favour ending the war, some Republicans have criticised Obama's withdrawal, arguing he's leaving behind an unstable Iraq that could hurt American interests and fall subject to influence from neighboring Iran.
Obama has on several occasions addressed his reasons for ending the war, casting it as a promise kept after he ran for president as an anti-war candidate and speaking of the need to refocus US attention on rebuilding the troubled economy at home.
The president focused on the troops and their role and his commitment to ensuring veterans get the jobs and resources they need once they're back home. His audience included those most personally affected, including troops back from Iraq and their families.
It was the president's first visit to Fort Bragg, which is home to Army Special Operations, the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne, among others. Special Forces troops from Fort Bragg were among the first soldiers in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and its paratroopers helped lead the 2007 troop increase.
North Carolina, which Obama narrowly won in 2008, also is an important state for the 2012 presidential election and will host the Democratic convention.
To underscore the political significance, Mitt Romney, one of the leading GOP presidential contenders, addressed an open letter to Obama and sent it to the Fayetteville Observer, decrying the unemployment rate for veterans.
Unemployment for veterans who served after 9/11 was 11.1% in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Romney called such a statistic a "disgrace."
"In the face of such economic hardship, fine words welcoming veterans home are insufficient," Romney wrote. "It is time for a fundamental change of direction. If you won't or can't lead our country out of the economic morass you've deepened, then I would suggest that it's time for you to go."
Accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, the president travelled to Fort Bragg in North Carolina to address service members and their families as he brings the war to a close.
Obama told troops that the US is peacefully leaving behind a stable nation and closing "one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military".
He added: "There is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long."
At a base that has seen more than 200 deaths over nearly nine years of fighting in Iraq, Obama highlighted the human side of the war, reflecting on the bravery and sacrifices of US forces now on their way back home.
All US troops are to be out of Iraq by 31 December, though Obama has pledged that the US will continue to help Iraq as it faces an uncertain future in a volatile region of the world. Even as majorities in the US public favour ending the war, some Republicans have criticised Obama's withdrawal, arguing he's leaving behind an unstable Iraq that could hurt American interests and fall subject to influence from neighboring Iran.
Obama has on several occasions addressed his reasons for ending the war, casting it as a promise kept after he ran for president as an anti-war candidate and speaking of the need to refocus US attention on rebuilding the troubled economy at home.
The president focused on the troops and their role and his commitment to ensuring veterans get the jobs and resources they need once they're back home. His audience included those most personally affected, including troops back from Iraq and their families.
It was the president's first visit to Fort Bragg, which is home to Army Special Operations, the 18th Airborne Corps and the 82nd Airborne, among others. Special Forces troops from Fort Bragg were among the first soldiers in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and its paratroopers helped lead the 2007 troop increase.
North Carolina, which Obama narrowly won in 2008, also is an important state for the 2012 presidential election and will host the Democratic convention.
To underscore the political significance, Mitt Romney, one of the leading GOP presidential contenders, addressed an open letter to Obama and sent it to the Fayetteville Observer, decrying the unemployment rate for veterans.
Unemployment for veterans who served after 9/11 was 11.1% in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Romney called such a statistic a "disgrace."
"In the face of such economic hardship, fine words welcoming veterans home are insufficient," Romney wrote. "It is time for a fundamental change of direction. If you won't or can't lead our country out of the economic morass you've deepened, then I would suggest that it's time for you to go."
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