During the holiday season, the president of the United States and the first family visited Marine Corps Base Hawaii. They went to local communities near MCB Hawaii and enjoyed some of the services and activities available on base.
Among the highlights of the first family’s recent Hawaiian vacation was spending time with Marines, sailors and their families Dec. 25, 2010. More than 250 people met the president and first lady during their Christmas day visit to the Anderson dining hall.
"Having the president visit is a great opportunity for the Marines and sailors to meet our commander in chief and it's an honor to host his visit," said Col. Robert Rice, base commander.
This is the third year the president has taken time out of his holiday vacation for an unannounced visit to the troops during Christmas dinner. “I was shocked. I hadn’t planned on meeting the president,” said Pfc. Dominique Holiday, rifleman, Company C, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, who hails from Chicago.
While at the dining hall, the president made his way to each table shaking hands, holding babies and spreading holiday cheer.
“It was nice to meet him. I kind of thought, since he is the president, he would be different,” Holiday said. “But when I talked to him, it was like I was talking to a regular guy. He made me feel comfortable. He is everything you want a president to be, in person.”
The president also used his weekly online radio address on the White House website (feed://www.whitehouse.gov/podcast/audio/weekly-addresses/rss.xml) to wish the more than 100,000 deployed service members happy holidays and thanked them for their sacrifice.
During his visit, he frequented the Semper Fit Gymnasium and the Klipper Golf Course. He also made his way to the National Memorial of the Pacific during his visit to pay respects to his grand father who is buried there. The first family also spent time at the newly renovated K-bay Lanes Bowling Alley, went to Pyramid Rock Beach and visited Island Snow in Kailua where he treated his family and the White House press pod to shaved ice, according to media reports.
"It was fantastic to be able to meet the president," said Ron Wilke, retired Army Master Sgt. native of Dotson, Mont. "The way the President and first lady act so naturally, they just make you feel comfortable,” he said after shaking hands with the Commander-in-Chief.
The first family left the island Jan. 3 after completingtheir two-week tropical holiday.