Powerful moment President meets a brave soldier in Iraq who rejoined the army because of him

President Donald Trump exchanged words with a soldier who had something unique and personal to tell him. 

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders shared a Twitter post highlighting their interaction. It happened during Trump's surprise first visit to a war zone. 

On Wednesday, the president visited soldiers stationed at the Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq. The photos are found below. 

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While greeting soldiers in the dining hall, one of them told Trump that he had returned to the military because of him. 

The president gracefully responded: 

"And I'm here because of you, so we have something in common."

The two shook hands as other military soldiers surrounded them. Upon the soldier's request, they then took a selfie together. 

As he was posing the soldier also told the President: 

"Keep America great." 

Sanders revealed in her post that, afterward, the soldier gave her a patch labeled with his regiment's nickname. It read: "Brave Rifles." 

The Army member is part of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, previously known as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. It is stationed at Fort Hood. 

Soon after Trump shared his own Twitter post showing his visit, he received backlash for his indiscretion. 

Those in the comments pointed out that neither the faces nor the location of the troops should have been exposed. 

The Defense Department claimed that such information typically remains classified. However, the Secretary of Defense insisted that no rules were broken as a result. 

The office said: 

“The special operators voluntarily participated in this open press event. There was no security violation.”

Others continued to push that Trump's actions were reckless. Many military family members expressed shock. 

After the Iraq visit, Trump and his wife stopped by more troops in another surprise visit. They went to the German base in Ramstein. 

Some of the soldiers wore Trump's "Make America Great Again" hats. They took pictures with Trump and the first lady on both visits.