Obama extolls service on inaugural eve

by Frank James

On the eve of his historic inauguration as the nation's first African-American commander-in-chief, President-elect Barack Obama observed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday by participating in a day of service during which he painted a wall at a temporary shelter in Washington D.C. for homeless and runaway youth.

The event at the emergency homeless shelter for teens was one of the several public events Obama had on the day before his swearing in. His interactions with the young people at the center, as well as his use of a paint roller to apply blue paint to the wall of a dormitory room, were duly chronicled by a media contingent allowed to observe.

But Obama started his day with a visit to the Walter Read Army Medical Center to where he met with wounded troops and their families which was off-limits to the media. His motorcade pulled out from in front of the Blair House, the White House's official guest house where the Obama family is staying, at 8:33 am.

The motorcade rolled quickly past large Richard Avedon portraits of Obama and Reagan draped over the Corcoran Gallery, past the office buildings of downtown Washington and onto Rock Creek Parkway, heading north toward the hospital.

Later, at the Sasha Bruce House homeless shelter, Obama, wearing an open-collared, white long-sleeve shirt and jeans, said his visit was meant to demonstrate the need for everyone to be engaged in public service.

"Everybody's going to have to pitch in," Obama said.

Meanwhile, the future first lady, Michelle Obama, was at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium where she joined hundreds of volunteers under a large tent who were filling bags with toiletry items like suntan lotion and toothpaste intended for U.S. troops overseas.

The organizers had set up something of an assembly line to fill the bags. But it began to slow down as people stopped to take her photo, give her a hug and chat.

The president-elect and his wife then joined Vice President-elect Biden and his wife Jill at a Washington high school for a luncheon with members of from the community.

Obama met with veterans and others assembled there - "Thank you for your service,'' he told one, "Brooklyn, Brooklyn in the house,'' he told another. "Thank you, good to see you,'' he said, working the crowd. "I'm doing great.... Darius... what grade are you in man, fourth grade, so nice to see you.... Donna? You're an Obama mama, great to see you.''

He was wired for sound, wearing a mic on his shirt and a transmitter on his belt. He fended off posing for pictures with people. "If I start taking a picture with everybody, then I will never get out of here," Obama said. "If I start, everybody will want one.''

Then he caved with an autograph for a veteran.

"I'm only going to do this for one person, because you're a veteran,'' he told the seated veteran wearing a veteran's service cap. "But if I start doing this with everybody I'll be in trouble.''

Monday evening, Obama was scheduled to attend three separate dinners, one honoring the Republican he beat to win the White House, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the second in honor of Colin Powell and the third honoring Biden.

John McCormick, Mark Silva and the Associated Press contributed