First Lady Michelle Obama poses for a picture with Kim Felts, a Gold Star wife, and her children, Thomas Jr. and Rebekah, during a dinner to honor Iraq war veterans at the White House, Feb. 29, 2012. Courtesy photoMarch 5, 2012 – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a “solemn tribute” to Iraq war veterans -- including those who made the ultimate sacrifice -- with a dinner last week at the White House. Among the star-studded generals and troops in formal uniforms was Kim Felts, the only Gold Star wife at the event.
Seated at a table next to the first lady and surrounded by Iraq war veterans and their wives, Kim said she felt humbled and grateful. "I felt like [our nation's leaders] were saying, 'We want to honor your husband in this way,'" she said in an interview Friday.
Kim's husband, Army Col. Thomas H. Felts Sr., was killed Nov. 14, 2006, in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was 45 years old.
The dinner, held Feb. 29, included about 80 war veterans and their wives and senior defense officials including Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. They were there in honor of the more than 1 million U.S. service members who served in Iraq from 2003 to the end of operations in December.
Kim, a Special Forces Command family readiness program specialist at Fort Bragg, N.C, brought her two younger children, Rebekah and Thomas Jr., to the event. The teens were nervous and excited, she said, as they pulled up to the White House that evening.
As people mingled, Kim and her children meandered through several rooms of the White House, fascinated by portraits of past presidents and other elites. Her daughter, a fashion buff, was on the lookout for Jackie Onassis' picture, while her son was drawn to Benjamin Franklin's portrait. They then joined a reception line to greet the president and first lady. read more>>>
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