It was a show of military force. Retired officers and veterans stood on stage at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night as much to praise President Barack Obama's national security record as to remind viewers what was missing from the Republican convention last week.

In accepting his party's nomination, Mitt Romney was the first Republican since 1952 who didn't mention a nation at war. In fact, neither Romney nor his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, said anything about the ongoing war on terrorism or the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Democrats have used their convention to focus on Obama's military and foreign policies for which the president gets high marks in opinion polls. They've repeatedly shown the video of Obama informing the nation that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

On Thursday night, retired Adm. John B. Nathman spoke out for Obama, surrounded by veterans for past and current wars. Delegates held up signs that read, "Thank you."

— Donna Cassata — Twitter http://twitter.com/donnacassataAP

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EDITOR'S NOTE — Convention Watch shows you the 2012 political conventions through the eyes of Associated Press journalists. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.