Obama to Iraq vets: 'Your service belongs to the ages'

President Obama welcomed home U.S. troops in Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday as America concludes its nearly nine-year-old war in Iraq.

Speaking to 3,000 U.S. servicemembers and their families who gathered in an airplane hangar on this military installation, Obama thanked the troops for their service and said the military was now entering a season of homecoming as the last U.S. troops leave Iraq in the coming days.

"One of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military will come to an end," Obama said. "Iraq's future will be in the hands of its people. America's war in Iraq will be over. We knew this day would come. We have known it for some time now. But still, there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long."

Dating back to his days as an Illinois state senator, Obama characterized the war in Iraq as a "dumb war." In a speech he delivered in the lead up to the war in 2002, Obama derided President George W. Bush's advisers Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle -- two of the Bush administration's most prominent backers of launching the war -- as "weekend warriors" who were attempting to "shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."

But Obama's remarks at Fort Bragg included no mention of his opposition to the war, and instead centered on his appreciation for the troops. And he spent much of his speech noting that America needs to remain committed to make certain Iraq's veterans are cared for.

"Part of ending a war responsibly is standing by those who have fought it. It's not enough to honor you with words; we must do so with deeds," Obama said.

The decision to mark the milestone at Fort Bragg -- the Army's biggest base in terms of personnel -- is not all that surprising.

Obama told the troops that America can learn much from their selfless example. To make his point, he told the story of Lt. Alvin Shell, a Fort Bragg soldier, who a few years ago responded heroically when he and his team were engulfed by flames after an RPG attack on their convoy. Covered with gasoline, Shell ran into the fire to help his fellow soldiers. When he was later told he was a hero, Shell shrugged it off saying that a "hero is a sandwich" and he's a paratrooper, Obama said.

"We could do well to learn from Alvin and all of you. Yes, policymakers and historians will continue to analyze the strategic lessons of Iraq," Obama said. "And our commanders will incorporate hard-won lessons into future military campaigns. But the most important lesson that we can take from you is not one of military strategy – it is a lesson about our national character."

The sprawling base near Fayetteville is home to the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division and the Special Operations Command. Its soldiers have repeatedly deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan; 202 soldiers died in Iraq.

"The war in Iraq will soon belong to history, and your service belongs to the ages," Obama said. "Never forget that you are part of an unbroken line of heroes spanning two centuries -- from the colonists who overthrew an empire; to your grandparents and parents, who faced down fascism and communism; to you – men and women who fought for the same principles in Fallujah and Kandahar, and delivered justice to those who attacked us on 9/11."