--- title: "27 times the Commander-in-Chief visited a combat zone" description: "Presidents sometimes want to see the wars they order. Here are 27 times commanders-in-chief left the White House and headed for combat zones." date: "2021-03-19" modified: "2022-12-01" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/27-times-the-commander-in-chief-visited-combat-zones/" categories: - "History" - "Military News" --- # 27 times the Commander-in-Chief visited a combat zone ![]() Generally, American presidents feel an obligation to see situations firsthand when they commit troops to war. ## Here are 27 times the Commander-in-Chief left the White House and headed for combat zones. ### 1. FDR visits Casablanca as Allied forces assault Tripoli, January 1943 ![]() *Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference* ### 2. FDR visits the Mediterranean island of Malta to confer with Winston Churchill, February 1945 ![]() ### 3. Roosevelt meets Stalin and Churchill at Yalta, February 1945 ![]() ### 4. Ike goes to Korea, December 1952 ![]() ### 5. LBJ stops in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, 1966 ![]() *(LBJ Library)* ### 6. LBJ returns to Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, 1967 ![]() *(LBJ Library)* ### 7. Nixon visits in Saigon, South Vietnam, July 1969 ![]() *(Nixon Library Photo)* ### 8. Reagan stops at the Korean DMZ for lunch, November 1983 ![reagan commander-in-chief-in korea]() *President Reagan in the food line during his trip to the Republic of Korea and a visit to the DMZ Camp Liberty Bell and lunch with the troops (Reagan Library photo)* ### 9. Bush 41 drops in for Thanksgiving with U.S. troops during Desert Shield, 1990 ![bush commander-in-chief in combat zone desert storm]() *(Bush Library)* ### 10. Clinton with U.S. troops at Camp Casey, South Korea, 1993 ![clinton in south korea]() *(DoD photo)* ### 11. Clinton visits U.S. troops in Bosnia, January 1996 ![clinton commander-in-chief in combat zone]() *Bill Clinton visiting U.S. troops at Tuzla Air Base in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996. (DoD photo)* ### 12. Clinton returns to Bosnia in December 1997 to visit NATO and U.S. troops ![clinton in bosnia combat zone]() *President Bill Clinton shakes hands with soldiers at the Tuzla Air Field, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Dec. 22, 1997. The president was accompanied by his wife Hillary, their daughter Chelsea, former Senator Bob Dole and his wife Elizabeth, for the holiday visit with the troops. (DoD photo by Spc. Richard L. Branham, U.S. Army)* ### 13. Bush 43 grabs chow with the troops in South Korea, 2002 ![bush 43 commander-in-chief in south korea]() *(White House Photo)* ### 14. Commander-in-Chief Bush 43 surprises troops in Iraq combat zone, November 2003 ![bush commander-in-chief in combat zone in Baghdad]() *President George W. Bush pays a surprise visit to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). He gives an uplifting speech at the Bob Hope dining facility on Thanksgiving Day to all the troops stationed there. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon)* ### 15. Bush 43 returns to South Korea, Osan Air Base, 2005 ![bush commander-in-chief in south korea speaking to stroops]() ### 16. Bush 43 visits Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, March 2006 ![president bush shakes troops hands]() *President George Bush shakes hands with Sgt. Derek Kessler, 10th Mountain Division Headquarters Company driver. (U.S. Army photo)* ### 17. Bush 43 visits troops in Baghdad, June 2006 ![bush 43 commander-in-chief in combat zone]() *(White House photo)* ### 18. Bush 43 visits Al-Anbar province, Iraq, September 2007 ![commander-in-chief in combat zone with marines]() *President Bush: Visit Regimental Combat Team-2, Marine Wing Support Combat Patrol. Al Asad Airbase, Al Anbar Province, Iraq (U.S. Marine Corps photo)* ### 19. Bush 43 returns to South Korea, August 2008 ![commander-in-chief in combat zone]() ### 20. Bush 43 makes one last stop in Iraq combat zone, December 2008 ![combat zone with president bush]() ### 21. Obama stops in Iraq to see the troops, April 2009 ![obama in combat zone iraq]() *(White House photo)* ### 22. Obama stops into Osan Air Base, South Korea, November 2009 ![osan air base president obama]() ### 23. Obama makes his first stop at Bagram Air Base, December 2010 ![combat zone with president obama]() *(U.S. Army photo)* ### 24. Obama visits the DMZ, South Korea, March 2012 ![obama at dmz]() *(White House photo)* ### 25. Obama makes his second trip to Afghanistan, May 2012 ![president obama at bagram air field]() *President [Barack Obama]() greets U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field after a surprise visit to Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)* ### 26. Obama visits Yongsan Garrison, South Korea 2014 ![president obama in south korea]() ### 27. Obama makes what was one of his last trips to Afghanistan combat zone, May 2014 ![obama visiting troops in combat zone]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()