President Bush Phones Troops on Thanksgiving to Say "Thanks"

Will Obama continue this fine tradition or will he prefer to spend his time at the gym instead?

President George W. Bush talks to military personnel from Camp David, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008. The President called members of the Armed Forces stationed in remote locations worldwide to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them for their service to our nation. White House photo by Eric Draper

Information on CALL RECIPIENTS
The White House

Staff Sergeant Kevin R. Everett, U.S. Army (Anchorage, Alaska)Staff Sergeant Kevin R. Everett, U.S. Army, deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 101st Division Special Troop Battalion. Staff Sergeant Everett trains incoming soldiers on tactical operations and coordinates and establishes deconfliction measures for airspace between all artillery units and aircraft operating in RC-E Afghanistan. This is Staff Sergeant Everett's second rotation.

Staff Sergeant David A. "Dave" Mickem, U.S. Army (Lynnville, Indiana)Staff Sergeant David A. "Dave" Mickem, U.S. Army, deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Platoon, 202nd Military Police Company. Staff Sergeant Mickem is a Police Transition Team Leader for the Khalis District. He ensures the training and proper management by the Iraqi police for each of the stations in the district. This is Staff Sergeant Mickem's first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sergeant Paul E. Savage, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Somerville, Massachusetts)
Sergeant Paul E. Savage, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine regiment. Sergeant Savage provides real-time analysis of the enemy threat in order to give commanders a clear picture of the battle space.

Lance Corporal Levi Koski, U.S. Marine Corps (Livermore, California)Lance Corporal Levi Koski, U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Camp Ramadi, Iraq, with Combat Logistics Battalion 5. Lance Corporal Koski is a Hygiene Equipment Operator.

Petty Officer First Class Corey A. Snowden, U.S. Navy (Houston, Texas)Petty Officer First Class Corey A. Snowden, U.S. Navy, deployed to U.S Naval Central Command, 5th Fleet, Manama, Bahrain. Petty Officer Snowden leads a division of controllers, database managers and systems operators. In addition Petty Officer Snowden was one of a select few enlisted sailors to qualify as Joint Interface Control Cell Watch Officer.

Petty Officer Second Class Ronnie C. Giordani, U.S. Navy (North Tonawanda, New York)
Petty Officer Second Class Ronnie C. Giordani, U.S. Navy, deployed to Balad, Iraq, with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVEN. Petty Officer Giordani is a construction mechanic with the U.S. Navy Seabees. He works for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.

Senior Airman Victoria L. Drefs, U.S. Air Force (Armour, South Dakota)Senior Airman Victoria L. Drefs, U.S. Air Force, deployed to Kyrgyzstan with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. Senior Airman Drefs distributes aircraft fuel to airframes providing direct support to aerial refueling operations. She also ensures aircraft fuel is tested and meets proper specifications.

Airman First Class Thomas A. "Adam" Everett, U.S. Air Force (Summerville, Georgia)
Airman First Class Thomas A. "Adam" Everett, U.S. Air Force, deployed with 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Airman Everett provides security for tactical airlift aircraft, aircrew and passengers during and in between missions.

Petty Officer Third Class James Nichols, U.S. Coast Guard (Gloucester, Virginia)Petty Officer Third Class James Nichols, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to Barbers Points, Hawaii. Petty Officer Nichols serves as an aviation electrician and Aircrew member.

Seaman Michael "Mike" Manning, U.S. Coast Guard, (Mesa, Arizona)Seaman Michael "Mike" Manning, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to Attu, Alaska. Seaman Manning serves as a watch-stander in the engineering department.

Sergeant Shannon M. Dyer, U.S. Army Reserve, (Redlands, California)Sergeant Shannon M. Dyer, U.S. Army Reserve, deployed to Orangeburg, New York, assigned to Police Transition Team in Iraq. Sergeant Dyer is responsible for training Iraqi police in their administrative and security duties. This is Sergeant Dyer's second assignment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.