President Joe Biden supported the ideals of democracy and in a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday took the time to reflect on the loss of his son Beau Biden and the loss of families across the country who have lost loved ones in the military.
President also paid tribute by going abroad Ukrainedefenders of the United States fighting against a Russian invasion and members of the American service who were killed during the United States’ 20 Years’ War Afghanistan and in Iraq,
However, he made no mention of recent military deaths under his administration – including 13 service members killed in Afghanistan during a suicide attack amid the troop withdrawal from the country.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today remembers and we affirm that freedom is worth the sacrifice,” Biden said after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Democracy is not perfect. It’s never been perfect. But it is worth fighting for – if necessary, worth dying for it.’
Commenting on the seventh anniversary of the death of his eldest child, the president continued: ‘Memorial Day is always a day where pain and pride meet together. We all know it sitting here. Jill and I know it. Today is the day my son died.
Beau Biden, a Major in the Delaware National Guard, died on May 30, 2015, after a battle with brain cancer while his father was vice president.
‘He didn’t die in the line of duty, he came home from Iraq with cancer. It was this terrible cancer that stole us from him and him from us. But still, this is what I always feel on Memorial Day – I don’t look at him because the last time I held his hand, but the day I pinned my bars on him as a second lieutenant,’ the president said.
He said it served as a reminder to the “7,054 US military members” who “gave their lives in the 20 years of our Iraq and Afghan conflicts” and to “the untold number of those who died from injury and illness associated with their service.” ‘There is nothing less risk or less cost about war.’
Biden specifically highlighted the unknown scale of military deaths that have resulted from toxic burn pits – a personal topic for the president, who has said on several previous occasions that it was a contributing factor to his son’s early death. .
During the speech he also commented on the war in Ukraine – which Vladimir Putin has been fighting for more than three months now – saying that the eastern European country’s struggle is a reminder of the cost of independence.
President Joe Biden attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30 in Arlington, Virginia
In addition to celebrating Memorial Day on Monday, the President is also looking at the seventh anniversary of the death of his military veteran son from brain cancer.
Biden was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris (middle) and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (right) at the wreath-laying ceremony. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley was also present.
Before arriving at the ceremony, the President was meeting the Gold Star families who lost their loved ones in the military
Austin and Miley also made brief remarks at the ceremony, before Biden spoke
His speech contained references to past US conflicts as well as the current Battle of Ukraine to deter Russian aggression.
“At this moment, when Russia is once again waging a war of aggression to destroy the independence and democracy – culture and identity – of neighboring Ukraine, we see so clearly that freedom has never been free. ” Biden said.
‘Democracy always needs champions. Today, in the relentless struggle for democracy and freedom, Ukraine and its people are on the front lines to save their nation.
‘But their fight is part of a bigger fight that unites all people. This is a fight in which so many patriots, whose eternal rest is here in these holy grounds, were part. A fight between democracy and autocracy – between freedom and oppression, between hunger and ambition.’
With Republican legislatures closing in on individual liberties like abortion and the right to vote, Biden called for “some who want to dominate the lives and liberties of many forever” in “a fight for essential democratic principles.” Law, free and fair elections, freedom of speech and writing and assembly. Freedom to worship as it pleases, freedom of the press – principles that are essential for a free society.’
Biden was accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark.
Earlier, the President and First Lady hosted a Memorial Day breakfast at the White House for Austin and his wife Charlene Austin, Miley and his wife Hollyanne Milley, the second couple, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Roughly 140 others were also present, including members of various veterans organizations, other military service organizations, military family organizations, Pentagon officials, and other administrative officials.
The president began Memorial Day with a visit to the grave of his late son – the seventh anniversary of Beau Biden’s death at age 46 after a battle with brain cancer.
In addition to serving in the military, he was also the State Attorney General of Delaware from 2007 until a few months before his death on May 30, 2015.
President and First Lady Dr. jill biden A pink bouquet of flowers was seen at the grave on Monday morning after attending a half-hour church service in Wilmington.
He was accompanied by his grandson and Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens.
The Bidens regularly attend Sunday gatherings at St. Joseph’s over Brandywine, where Beau Biden is buried.
Later, the President and First Lady will attend the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
The first couple will be accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive at St. Joseph’s at Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., Monday, May 30.
He was seen carrying a bouquet of pink roses, which he had placed on Beau Biden’s grave
The Bidens went to church with their grandson and the president’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, for about half an hour on Monday.
There, Biden will deliver his Memorial Day address, and then join the latter to plant a magnolia tree in honor of the lives lost by the Gold Star families.
Presidents often bring their late eldest son, a military veteran, into speeches and conversations—especially when discussing military service or personal losses.
Last week, hours after a gunman killed 19 children and two of their teachers at an elementary school in Texas, Biden sympathized with the families, saying that losing a son or daughter now “rip a piece of your soul”. to be given.
‘There’s a hollow in your chest, you feel like you’re being sucked into it. And will never be able to get out. Suffocating And it’s not the same at all,’ the president said.
He spent his Sunday mourning personally with the families of Dr. Jill Biden during a full-day visit to Uvalde, Texas.
Returning to the White House on Monday morning, Biden was asked whether that visit inspired him to work harder on gun control.
‘I’ve always been very inspired. The families of those who were suffering, he spent three hours 40 minutes with me,’ the President said.
Beau Biden was a former Major in the Delaware National Guard, serving in Iraq while his father was Vice President
‘ He waited that whole time. Came some two hours ago. The pain is understandable. I think a lot of it is unnecessary. I will continue to push.’
Their first stop on Sunday was the temporary memorial at Robb Elementary School, where an 18-year-old man with an assault rifle locked himself in a classroom and began shooting for about an hour while police waited outside.
He walked for several minutes with a school sign with flowers, candles and written tributes to read the names of the victims, and at one point wiped away a tear.
The president also hugged the school’s principal, Mandy Gutierrez, and was seen at one point holding hands with Dr Jill Biden, Gutierrez and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.
He ended the trip by meeting with victims and families of victims for more than three hours, followed by one-on-one with first responders in a southwest Texas community.