Fact check: Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush all visited combat zones
The claim: Melania Trump is the first first lady to visit a combat zone since 1969.
It is not uncommon for presidents to visit troops overseas, even making suprise visits to combat zones. But what about first ladies?
Former first lady Pat Nixon visited South Vietnam in July 1969. And a recent viral post suggests she was the last in her position to visit troops at war until Melania Trump in 2018.
"Melania Trump is the 1st FLOTUS to visit troops in a combat zone since 1969," a viral post reads. It has more than 1,600 shares. President Trump Fans — the page behind the post — did not respond to request for comment from USA TODAY.
Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush all visited troops in combat zones
First, how is a combat zone defined? They are designated by an executive order. The IRS states they include "hostile areas where military may serve: actual combat areas, direct combat support areas, and qualified hazardous duty areas."
Melania Trump accompanied President Donald Trump in a surprise visit to Iraq in December 2018. They spent about three hours on the ground at Al Asad Air Base, just west of Baghdad.
But she's not the first in 50 years to do so, as the post claims. Both of her immediate predecessors did the same.
Former first lady Michelle Obama visited soldiers at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in November 2015. She was accompanied by comedian Conan O’Brien and provided troops with ice cream, a treat they hadn't been able to access for months.
Former first lady Laura Bush visited troops in Afghanistan twice in her eight years in the White House. She had dinner with soldiers at Bagram Air Base, just north of Kabul, in March 2005. She returned to Bagram in June 2008.
Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan have all been designated as combat zones since 1991.
Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush visited troops in military hot spots, too
Of the past five first ladies, the other two also visited troops in military hot spots, though they were not designated combat zones.
Former first lady Hillary Clinton visited soldiers who were serving in a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in March 1996.
Former first lady Barbara Bush visited troops who were in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield to celebrate Thanksgiving in November 1990.
Saudi Arabia was designated as a combat zone just two months later, in January 1991.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, the claim that Melania Trump was the first first lady to visit troops in a combat zone since since 1969 is FALSE. Both Michelle Obama and Laura Bush visited troops in combat zones, too.
Our fact-check sources:
National First Ladies' Library, First Lady Biography: Pat Nixon
USA TODAY, Dec. 26, 2018, Trump defends Syria policy during surprise visit with US troops in Iraq
New York Times, Nov. 3, 2015, Michelle Obama, With Conan O’Brien, Visits Troops in Qatar
New York Times, March 31, 2005, Laura Bush Carries Pet Causes to Afghans
Department of Defense, June 9, 2008, First Lady Visits Troops in Afghanistan
Internal Revenue Service, Combat Zones Approved for Tax Benefits
Associated Press, March 25, 1996, Bosnia: Tulza: Hillary Clinton Visits US Troops
U.S. National Archives, Nov. 22, 1990, President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush wave as they stand in the back of a vehicle during a visit to a desert encampment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Melania Trump, predecessors have visited combat zones
