Part of President Barack Obama’s Christmas was spent at a United States Marine base in Hawaii, accompanied by his wife and First Lady Michelle Obama, thanking American troops publicly for their service.

He also posed for several hundred pictures with the more than 460 military personnel present. It’s become a Christmastime tradition for the Obamas.

“Even though we have been able to reduce the number of folks who are deployed in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, there are still folks over there everyday and it’s still dangerous,” Obama said.

He also mentioned the six airmen that recently lost their lives after a suicide bomber attacked them outside their airbase in Afghanistan.

Watch and hear for yourself his words:

More from the Washington Post:

The attack was the deadliest day of 2015 for U.S. troops and comes at the end of a year in which the president scrapped his plans to end the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan before he leaves office. Obama also approved modest increases this year to the U.S. force of about 3,500 troops training and advising Iraq troops, and he sent about 50 Special Operations soldiers to Syria.

“Whatever service you are in, whatever branch, we are extraordinarily grateful for everything you do every single day,” he told the troops at the Marine base.

With the first lady at his side, Obama spoke of the sacrifices that have come with 14 years of war. “We know when you are deployed overseas, it’s tough,” he said.

The event at the Marine base, though, was more celebratory than somber. The president spotted a few new babies in the crowd and said he was looking forward to taking pictures with them.

“We always get our baby fix,” he said of the annual visit.