Obama Uges Americans To Thank Returning Veterans

U.S. President Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Americans to express their gratitude to military veterans and their families.

In his weekly radio address, Obama noted that more and more U.S. troops are returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Obama family arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 22 for their annual year-end vacation in the state where Obama grew up.

Obama has no public events scheduled over the holiday.

However, he has said that he will return to Washington "after Christmas" to continue talks with Republicans in Congress on possible measures to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, a combination of harsh spending cuts and tax increases that will automatically take effect if the two sides are unable to agree to a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP