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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Only 10 military service members get personal Christmas Day phone calls from President Barack Obama. Last month, Coast Guard Petty Officer Golda Payne learned she would be one of them.
Payne, a 25-year-old Tampa native stationed in Kuwait, couldn't wait. She researched the Obama family. She planned to keep things "light," maybe ask about the family dog and tell him about her bulldog puppy. She gave an interview to the Coast Guard newspaper.
But Christmas came, and Obama never called. Two days later, Payne said her officers told her this was why: The White House had run a criminal background check on her, saw a 2006 drunken driving conviction and didn't want to risk negative publicity.
Payne said she was hurt and disappointed. The drunken driving arrest is her only criminal charge, according to state records, and was a turning point that led her to join the military.
"The Coast Guard has been hands down the best thing that has ever happened to me," Payne said in an email. "It provided me structure and discipline when I needed it most."
Neither the White House nor the Coast Guard would confirm or deny the details of the decision.
Payne's officers nominated her to get one of the president's phone calls. She said she was told she got the nod because of her work performance.
After Payne's bosses told her why Obama never called, she Skyped her aunt, Golda Graves.
"I was hurt, angry, devastated. I felt like I was not 'worthy' to speak to the president because of a mistake that I made five years ago," Payne said.
