It has only been in recent years, namely the last fifteen or so that we would find out about it when high ranking government officials would visit forward areas or any kind of hot zone.
The facts of it are simple, they would always be unannounced due to the fact of word getting out before the folks on the ground had the chance to put the proper security measures in the way.
Recalling when President Bush flew to the Middle East on Thanksgiving 2003, the first time that I recalled hearing anything about it was after he had already been on the ground and was carving up turkeys.
Either way, the ability to travel without anyone that doesn’t need to know unaware of it is one of those great morale boosters.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of people in the military and those folks likely think that there are just too many of them to ever meet the President or anything like that.
On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump all disappeared in unannounced trips.
President Trump ended up at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. While he was there, he met with wounded service members.
In a moment that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described as “one of the most powerful moments” of her life, Trump presented a wounded service member with the Purple Heart:
One of the most powerful moments of my life watching @POTUS give the Purple Heart to this American Hero. Amazed by the strength and resilience of the men and women in our Armed Forces. pic.twitter.com/AtoaboF4DE
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 21, 2017
And then, Vice President Pence traveled all the way to Afghanistan to thank hundreds of troops for Christmas. His trip was kept a secret for safety reasons until he arrived.
He gave a speech to thank the troops for their commitment to securing the region with the goal of restoring peace.
In a bold statement, Pence spoke in front of a 40-foot-tall American flag.
He informed everyone in the room they were “making real progress” and that they “put the Taliban on the offensive.” Pence went on, saying, “I believe victory is closer than ever before. I believe with all my heart that Afghanistan will be free.”
Watch:
Happening now: Vice President Mike Pence addressing troops during unannounced trip to Afghanistan. https://t.co/lI873ig5u6
— ABC News (@ABC) December 21, 2017