Anticipation Building Among El Pasoans And Fort Bliss Soldiers Over Presidential Visit

President Barack Obama will travel to the El Paso, Texas area on May 10, making it his second visit to the borderland in less than a year.

“Last time he was here it was pretty good. Everyone got all excited,” said Fort Bliss soldier Timothy Vorhees.

Obama last visited the area on Aug. 31, 2010 to meet soldiers and spouses of soldiers at Fort Bliss ahead of the end of major combat operations in Iraq that day.

Obama spoke with troops at a dining hall on Fort Bliss. The post has been central to the war effort. The soldiers were among those combat troops recently returned from Iraq.

“Welcome home,” Obama said to shouts of “hooh-uh.”

Obama flew to the post to thank the troops for their sacrifice in the long and unpopular war, one he had opposed.

“Congratulations on a job well done. The country appreciates you,” Obama said during that visit.

However, White House officials have not said what’s in store for the president’s trip next Tuesday. It is unclear how much time President Obama will be spending the Sun City and exactly where he’ll be. El Paso Mayor John Cook told the Associated Press that the president was expected to visit the Chamizal National Memorial

“I would say that he should visit the brigades that just got back (from Afghanistan and Iraq) and the ones that are about to leave,” said Vorhees.

Officials said there are currently about 1,200 Fort Bliss soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are expected to come home sometime before fall. However, an additional 6,000 Fort Bliss soldiers are set to go to those countries later this summer and over the fall.

“A lot of people on Fort Bliss want to know whether their family members or their friends will come back (sooner),” said Fort Bliss soldier Tim Ward.

But what if Fort Bliss is not the focus of the president’s visit?

We asked ABC-7 viewers for their input on Facebook. Many wanted the president to address border security and immigration reform. Others wanted him to speak on the economy and the unreleased pictures of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

“A lot of people are wondering what the next step will be now that Osama is dead,” said Vorhees. “Are we going to try to end (the War on Terror) or are we going to continue?”

Obama has previously visited the the El Paso area in 2008 when he talked to veterans and their spouses at a special Memorial Day town hall meeting in Las Cruces when he was a presidential candidate.

After Obama visits the El Paso area on Tuesday, he will then travel to Austin, TX before returning to Washington, D.C. More details will be released as they become available.