President Obama Honors Fallen Troops At Dover Air Force Base

DOVER (CBS) -- President Barack Obama flew on Marine One to Dover Air Force Base today to honor the U.S. forces killed over the weekend in Afghanistan. Two transport planes brought their remains home Tuesday morning.

The president made the private trip to pay tribute to the 30 Americans killed Saturday when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents using a rocket-propelled grenade—the deadliest single loss for U.S. since the start of the war.

CBS News reports the remains are still being identified and the Armed Forces Mortuary Affairs Office at Dover will make the positive identifications.

Families of the fallen troops may stay at the Fisher House on the base during this process. The Fisher House, which opened in November, aids the families of fallen service members awaiting the return of their loved ones brought to the Dover A.F.B. mortuary from overseas.

President Obama donated $250,000 of his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize award to the Fisher House Foundation.

CBS 3's Chris May sat down with President Obama on July 14, 2011, and during this exclusive interview asked him about the services at Dover Air Force Base.

"When we think about the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform are making, it is overwhelming. And when we think about the ultimate sacrifice that is made, knowing that we have a team at Dover that is doing everything they can, not only to comfort, but also to honor that sacrifice, is extraordinarily important," the president said. "We're blessed for the great work the people of Dover do. I think all Americans owe them a great deal of gratitude."

Watch Chris May's Interview With President Obama

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If someone was sad, Michael Strange tried to make them smile. He loved snowboarding, surfing, scuba diving, running, and shooting guns on the range.

"He loved his friends, his family, his country; he loved making people laugh. He was one of a kind," Strange's brother, Charles Strange III, said outside the family's Philadelphia home, where American flags were planted throughout the neighborhood.

Strange, 25, decided to join the military when he was still in high school, and had been in the Navy for about six years, first stationed in Hawaii and for the last two in Virginia Beach, where he became a SEAL about two years ago, his mother, Elizabeth Strange, told The Associated Press.

But he always told his family not to worry.

"He wasn't supposed to die this young. He was supposed to be safe," Elizabeth Strange said. "And he told me that, and I believed him. I shouldn't have believed him because I know better. He would say, `Mom, don't be ridiculous and worry so much. I'm safe."'

Charles Strange said his brother loved the SEALS, especially "the competitiveness, getting in shape and running and swimming and all of that."

He also had two sisters and recently became an uncle. The family last saw him in June, when he came for a weeklong visit for his birthday, his mother said. He was supposed to be back for Thanksgiving.

"It was going to be such a good time," his mother said.

His grandmother Bernice Strange remembered him as a young man who loved cheesesteaks and the Philadelphia Eagles and always brought her flowers.
"He was a wonderful grandson to have," she said Monday night. "God truly blessed me with him."

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)