I didn't know that the number of people who had served there was so high.(CNN) -- President Obama declared that "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended" in his prime-time address Tuesday.
"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," he said.
The mission officially drew to a close at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Obama said the winding down of the war in Iraq means it's time for citizens to unite and build a better life for all Americans.
"Our most urgent task is to restore our economy and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work," he said in his nationwide address from the Oval Office.
"... This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people and my central responsibility as president."
The president said ending the war in Iraq is in the United States' best interest and "it is time to turn the page."
Obama said he has spoken with former President George W. Bush about moving forward on Iraq's future.
"It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future."
Oval Office setting is message behind the message
Obama ignored Republican suggestions that he acknowledge a personal mistake and give credit to Bush for executing the 2007 troop surge.
Obama, then a senator, and other Democratic senators at the time opposed the surge.
Ignoring a replay of that 2007 debate could be politically advantageous for Obama, given the fact that top Republicans like House Minority Leader John Boehner earlier blasted the president for opposing the surge.
"One lawmaker rejected the idea that the surge would reduce violence in Iraq, saying -- and again I'm quoting -- 'in fact, I think it will do the reverse,'" Boehner, R-Ohio, said in reference to Obama during a speech to the American Legion convention in Milwaukee.
GOP claims Iraq success despite Obama
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, delivered a speech suggesting Bush deserves more credit for reaching this milestone.
"You might recall that the surge wasn't very popular when it was announced," McConnell said. "You might also recall that one of its biggest critics was the current president. So it makes it easier to talk about fulfilling a campaign promise to wind down our operations in Iraq when the previous administration signs the security agreement with Iraq to end our overall presence there."
On Afghanistan, Obama said that like Iraq, surge forces will be deployed there for a "limited time."
Starting in July, "we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility. The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake: this transition will begin -- because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people's," the president said.
Obama vowed to continue the fight against al-Qaeda, saying the group continues to plot against the United States. The president said U.S. military forces will prevent Afghanistan "from again serving as a base for terrorists."
"And because of our drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense," he said.
Fort Bliss has supplied soldiers to Iraq at all stages of the seven-year war and is still sending troops to the region as part of the 50,000-troop contingent that is staying in Iraq.
Al-Maliki marks U.S. end to Iraq combat mission in national address
The August 31 drawdown and end to the U.S. combat phase is a new page in what has been a controversial seven-year conflict. Weapons of mass destruction, a major justification by the Bush administration for going to war, were never found. Saddam Hussein was toppled along with his massive Baghdad statue, but sectarian violence soon erupted.
The war in Iraq has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,400 U.S. troops.
The Americans who have been killed in Iraq "gave their lives for the values that have lived in the hearts of our people for over two centuries," Obama said Tuesday night.
"Along with nearly 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq, they fought in a faraway place for people they never knew. They stared into the darkest of human creations -- war -- and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace."
Anyway a welcome milestone, even though there are still missions being undertaken there (more assist and advise rather than combat).
