Troops to President Obama: Thank You, Mr. President

NPR is bringing reactions from troops to President Barack Obama's announcement that combat operations in Iraq will officially end. Obama is visiting Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, to mark the formal end of combat operations in Iraq, after seven years and 165 days of fighting. The president will meet with some of the 25,000 troops of the U.S. Army 1st Armored Division — the famed "Old Ironsides" — about half of whom wear combat patches from Iraq. When asked what they would like to say to the president, many said, "Thank you, Mr. President." There was a range of responses, with one respondent wanting to be deployed to Afghanistan. The president will hold a press conference today to formally announce the end of combat operations in Iraq.

Check out more of the responses at NPR.org.