Hugh Gentry/Reuters
President Barack Obama on Sunday called it the “privilege of my life” to serve as commander in chief while visiting U.S. service members in Hawaii. “Although this will be my last time addressing you as president, I want you to know that as a citizen, my gratitude will remain, and our commitment to standing by you every step of the way, that won't stop,” he said while visiting the Marine Corps Base on Christmas Day. He said he’d phoned service members stationed overseas the day before to express gratitude for their service. Despite his impending departure from the White House, however, he joked that he wouldn’t be a stranger to U.S. troops. “We look forward to seeing you for many years to come, because I understand that I still have a little bit of rank as ex-president,” Obama said. “So I still get to use the gym on base and, of course, the golf course.”