President Barack Obama closes a folder after signing the last of three bills in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 in Washington. According to the White House release, President Obama signed S. 252 : Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Reauthorization Act or the “PREEMIE Reauthorization Act”, H.R. 1848: Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013, and H.R. 3204: Drug Quality and Security Act. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving at the White House Thursday and called several members of armed forces to thank them for their service to the country.
Many presidents have preferred to spend the holiday at Camp David, the secluded Maryland mountaintop retreat, but the Obama has more often chosen to have dinner at the Executive Mansion.
Hewing to past practice during his administration, Obama placed calls to several uniformed personnel. The White House said he talked to 10 service members — two each from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
The White House said the president wished them and their families “a happy Thanksgiving.”
The guest list for the dinner wasn’t made public, so it wasn’t clear who would be joining the president, first lady Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia for the event.
The menu was quintessential Thanksgiving, with turkey, honey-baked ham, cornbread stuffing, oyster stuffing, greens, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and dinner rolls. For dessert, the family had a choice of huckleberry pie, pecan pie, chocolate cream pie, sweet potato pie, banana cream pie or coconut cream pie.
