The President made an unscheduled, unannounced trip to Dover AFB overnight to witness the return of the bodies of U.S. troops killed in action, Jake Tapper reports:
The president arrived at Dover AFB at 12:34am after 40-minute chopper ride from the White House. …At 3:39 am the President walked up the ramp of the C-17 to attend a short prayer given by Major Richard S. Bach, an Air Force chaplain. Obama emerged minutes later, the last in a line of personnel, and stood at attention in the cool night breeze, his hands cupped at his side.
At 3:50 am the flag-draped transfer case—not a coffin or casket—was carried from the plane to a waiting vehicle while all those participating saluted.
The NYT has some photos here. The AP account is here.
David Kurtz
David Kurtz is Managing Editor and Washington Bureau Chief of Talking Points Memo where he oversees the news operations of TPM and its sister sites.