Blake Hall
It wasn’t the first time the two met, and it probably won’t be the last.
President Obama was in Phoenix Friday, touring the Veterans Affairs hospital. Simultaneously, veteran Sgt. Cory Remsburg was enjoying his brand new home in Gilbert, an abode that will allow the partially-paralyzed Army Ranger live independently. He was fiddling around with the freshly-installed “kegerator” when a bunch of strangers showed up at his door.
Secret Service agents.
The President was a half-hour away.
“It was unexpected, but very appreciated,” Remsburg told reporters later. “I mean, think about it. How many people can say the president of the United States stopped by and said Hi?”
Sure, it’s “random”, but not so much. The military hero and Leader of the Free World are actually well-acquainted with each other. This marked the sixth time since 2009 that the two shared company. That initial meeting was in Normandy, France, for the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landing, when the two posed for a quick photo op.
The subsequent interactions were more pronounced, including the 2014 State of the Union Address (which can be seen in the video above).
On Friday, the President and his detail arrived at Cory’s house at 2 p.m., when agents told guests they could either leave or submit to a security screening.
Then Obama walked to the backyard, and addressed the stunned crowd on a microphone.
“I thought I’d just stop by; I was in the neighborhood,” Obama said. “I didn’t bring my swim shorts, though.”
“There are a whole bunch of Corys out there, and not all their wounds are as easily seen. We’ve got to be just as vigilant, just as generous and just as focused in making sure that every single one of our men and women in uniform, that they’re getting what they’ve earned and what they deserve.”