President Obama's campaign showcased the president's promise to draw down the U.S. military presence in Iraq and his support of veterans in a Web video released Monday.
The video, released ahead of Obama's visit to the VFW National Convention in Reno, Nev., on Monday afternoon, features a parade in St. Louis welcoming home troops from Iraq, as well as interviews with the parade organizers and veterans.
"As your commander in chief on behalf of a grateful nation, I'm proud to finally say these two words, and I know your families agree: Welcome home, welcome home, welcome home," Obama says in the video.
The three-minute video includes footage of the parade and service
members returning to the United States, along with interviews with
Vietnam and Iraq war veterans touting Obama's handling of the troop
withdrawals and support for veterans.
Iraq war veteran Hattie Daily says Obama ended the war in Iraq "responsibly" and "respectfully," while parade co-organizer Tom Appelbaum praises the president for having "kept his promise" to bring troops home from Iraq.
"We need a president to bring service members home and help our country get back to where it needs to be. I think that person who can do that is President Obama," Daily says.
The Obama team also focused on the president's Memorial Day speech in May, where he commemorated the 50th anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War in an address focused on rectifying the mistreatment of Vietnam veterans.
"Since day one, President Obama has made it a priority to keep the sacred trust we hold with those who wear the uniform of the United States and their families," said text released with the video.
First lady Michelle Obama has made U.S. military outreach a core tenet of her work in the White House, starting the Joining Forces initiative with Dr. Jill Biden to support members of the military and their families.
Despite the Obamas' military and veterans initiatives, Obama has struggled to gain political traction among veterans.
U.S. veterans favor Republican opponent Mitt Romney over the president 59 percent to 35, according to a Rasmussen poll released Sunday.
