Shortly after his introduction at Fort Belvoir military base in Virginia on Thursday (August 7), President Obama departed from a scheduled address, to pay tribute to Major General Harold Greene, who was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday (August 5) during a mission to train Afghan military forces.

""Today our troops continue to serve ad risk their lives in Afghanistan. It continues to be a difficult and dangerous mission as we were tragically reminded again this week in the attack that injured a number of our coalition troops and took the life of a dedicated American soldier Major General Harold Greene. Our prayers are with the Greene family as they are with all the Gold Star families and those that have sacrificed so much for our nation. Four months from now our combat mission in Afghanistan will be complete, and our longest will come to an honorable end. In the years to come, many of this generation will step out of uniform and their legacy will be secure. but whether or not this