{"id":121572,"date":"2021-05-30T11:04:34","date_gmt":"2021-05-30T18:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=121572"},"modified":"2021-05-30T11:04:34","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T18:04:34","slug":"president-biden-addressing-service-members-and-their-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=121572","title":{"rendered":"President Biden Addressing Service Members and their Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hampton, Virginia&#8230;.I\u2019ll let you guys get comfortable.  (Laughs.)   Colonel Ross \u2014 Clint, it\u2019s wonderful to see you again.  Thank you.  When our path last crossed, as Jill said, you were serving in the White House.  And I never thought we\u2019d be standing here today doing what we\u2019re doing today.   And, Chief Master Sergeant Peterson, thank you, and to all members of your team who helped put this visit together today. It \u2014 it means a lot to Jill and me.   When I was Vice President and \u2014 as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, we tried to visit almost every major military base in the country, and as Vice President, around the world.  And you are \u2014 simply stated, you are the backbone of the country.  You\u2019re the backbone of the country. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K2NbIOIrKxY\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>And although our son Beau was the Attorney General of the state of Delaware and had spent nine months in Kosovo trying to \u2014 as assistant U.S. attorney \u2014 trying to set up their criminal justice system.  And I might say, I\u2019ve \u2014 I can do this with the military; I\u2019m going to brag about him a little bit \u2014 he\u2019s the only foreigner to have a war memorial erected to him in Kosovo, just below Fort [Camp] Bondsteel and a highway \u2014 the first highway they built \u2014 named after him: the Joseph R. \u201cBeau\u201d Biden Memorial Highway.  And he was a \u2014 he was proud as hell \u2014 as hell of his work. <\/p>\n<p>But then he decided that \u2014 I kept on \u2014 he had contracted a \u2014 exposure to a virus in \u2014 when he was in Kosovo and in Turkey as a civilian.  And he came back with a problem.  <\/p>\n<p>But he kept going to Walter Reed.  I couldn\u2019t understand why he was \u2014 they finally found \u2014 it\u2019s called ankylosing spondylitis.  They finally found a cure.  It prevented him from having what they call \u201cbamboo spine.\u201d  But he kept going back.  I couldn\u2019t understand why.  I thought I knew why, but, Gov, he went back because he was trying to get an exemption to be able to join the United States Army.  He was a sitting attorney general, and as all my colleagues \u2014 the Governor and Bobby Scott and Congresswoman \u2014 they all know is that when you do that \u2014 he joined the National Guard.  And his unit deployed, and he wanted to deploy to Iraq with them.<\/p>\n<p>So he literally had to give up his seat.  Temporarily, he could not have any business done \u2014 as you National Guard folks know, you can\u2019t do any business with a state if in fact \u2014 you\u2019re now federal property.<\/p>\n<p>And so, he gave up the seat and had the courage to appoint a fellow who had been a Republican attorney general as attorney general while he \u2014 while he went.  The proudest thing he ever did \u2014 proudest thing he ever did. <\/p>\n<p>And he \u2014 he spent a year in Iraq.  And it was \u2014 it was one of the great honors of his life to do it.  Won the Bronze Star, the Conspicuous Service Medal, and other awards \u2014 like many of you have \u2014 but he never, ever talked about it.<\/p>\n<p>I remember we had an event at the White House \u2014 I shouldn\u2019t be talking so much about my son, but I\u2019m not going to apologize for it. <\/p>\n<p>We had an event for Iraqi veterans at the White House and the President, without telling me and Jill, invited Beau to be there with another 75 soldiers and sailors and airmen.  But he wouldn\u2019t wear any of his decorations.  And General Odierno called him \u2014 he served under him \u2014 and said, \u201cPut them on now.\u201d  Swear to God.  Walking out of the VP Residence, he wouldn\u2019t put them on until then.  That\u2019s the first time I ever saw the Bronze Star on him.<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019m just telling you that is \u2014 he\u2019s like a lot of you.  You do your duty.  You don\u2019t expect anything for it except be a little \u2014 have \u2014 get a little respect.  It deserves so much more.  You deserve so much more.<\/p>\n<p>And, you know, I\u2019m honored to be joined today by Governor Northam and by two great representatives of the Commonwealth: Congresswoman Luria and Congressman Scott.  And I want to thank \u2014 thank you for all that you do to represent these service veterans, because they\u2019re devoted to you; for the family members, the caregivers, survivors who call Virginia home.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m especially honored to share the stage with Brittney, and Jerdan, and Nathan, and Margrit Katherine.  I love those barrettes in your hair, man.  I tell you what \u2014 and look at her; she looks like she\u2019s 19 years old, sitting there with her \u2014 like a little lady with her legs crossed.  (Laughter.) <\/p>\n<p>Brittney, you\u2019re doing triple duty: as a veteran, a military spouse, and a teacher.  And, kids, thank you for being there for your mom. <\/p>\n<p>I can remember all those times \u2014 and all of you remember, the spouses \u2014 when your husband or wife are deployed.  Every morning, you wake up, you say that little extra prayer while you\u2019re drinking your coffee.  You just spend a little more time wondering.<\/p>\n<p>And, you know, you only \u2014 you make up 1 percent of the population.  You\u2019re defending 99 percent of the rest of us.  And we owe you.  But you do your job so gracefully.  You hardly ever say anything about what you\u2019re doing. <\/p>\n<p>But it matters.  It matters to your families \u2014 for that time we\u2019re sitting across from an empty chair at the kitchen table and the dining room table; for those birthdays or Christmases or holidays when they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n<p>You know, there\u2019s a famous English poet who said, \u201cThey also serve who only stand and wait.\u201d  \u201cAlso serve who only stand and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I know Major Beene \u2014 having been deployed to Afghanistan during the pandemic has only made everything much harder during the pandemic.  I want to thank you so much \u2014 your entire family\u2019s service to our country.  You\u2019re all incredible.  You so underestimate how important you are.<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s nothing that Jill and I enjoy more than spending time with our troops here and abroad \u2014 if you\u2019re stationed here United States or deployed around the world.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 20 \u2014 I think it\u2019s 25 times.  And I\u2019ve seen \u2014 I wish everyone could see what you do when you\u2019re there.  I wish they could see every day how you saddle up, how you jump in that cockpit.  Just see \u2014 no, you\u2019re just \u2014 just doing your job. <\/p>\n<p>Not to mention all of the troops I\u2019ve had the chance to visit in the Middle East and Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.  We\u2019ve traveled all over.  Jill has traveled all over with me and her own visits to servicemembers in Iraq.  I think she\u2019s the only Second Lady ever to go into the middle of a warzone, because she wanted to be there and see you.<\/p>\n<p>I always want you to know \u2014 always \u2014 that the issues you and your family are facing, we need to know how we can support you better.  I mean it sincerely from the bottom of my heart: support you better. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s reason for that.  I said, we Bidens are proud to have family in the military.  And our son Beau\u2019s service was \u2014 was among the achievements, as I said, he was most proud of.<\/p>\n<p>My heart swelled to see him in uniform. <\/p>\n<p>When I went into Iraq \u2014 I was there for five times \u2014 when he was in Baghdad.  (Laughs.)  And I remember, the first time I saw him, his name was \u201cHunter.\u201d  I said, \u201cWhat in the hell happened?\u201d  He said, \u201cDad, I didn\u2019t want anybody to do me any special favors because my Vice President is my dad.\u201d  He got permission to put a different nametag on.<\/p>\n<p>I also remember what it was like to listen to him talk about the needs that people had when he got back home.  About all the folks he served with who came back with post-traumatic stress, and he was back being attorney general, having to deal with that.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the point: You do so much and you ask for so little.  You know, our experience is a fraction of what so many of you and your families have gone through \u2014 a family like Brittney and her kids.  You\u2019re the absolute best America has to offer: our heart, our honor, your solid steel spine. <\/p>\n<p>So my message to all of you is quite simply: Thank you.  Thank you.  Not \u201cthank you for your service\u201d \u2014 just thank you for who you are, because it\u2019s contagious.  Thank you for choosing a selfless service to your country.<\/p>\n<p>I know we have mostly soldiers and airmen in attendance today, but there can be a lot of friendly rivalries on a base.  Each branch has its own proud, cherished traditions and culture.  I know how proud Langley is of their premier 5th-generation F-22 Raptor Wing.  Oh, God, I\u2019d love to go up in one of those. <\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cI\u2019m your Commander-in-Chief.  Why the hell can\u2019t I command you let me go up in one?\u201d  But, you know, they won\u2019t let me do that.<\/p>\n<p>And Fort Eustis hosts one of Army\u2019s busiest airfields, which is led by the Air Force, primarily used by the Navy.  (Laughs.)  It\u2019s all about as joint as it can possibly get.<\/p>\n<p>Every day, the more than 20,000 members of the Air Force and Army, along with civilian personnel, come to work with a shared mission.  No matter which branch of our armed forces you proudly represent, you\u2019re part of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.  That\u2019s not hyperbole.  The greatest fighting force in the history of the world. <\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re integral to the most powerful nation in the world.  There\u2019s been no Army, Navy, or Air Force ever like you \u2014 or Marines. <\/p>\n<p>Here at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, you enable the success of our mission around the world.  You provide intelligence support and airpower.  You ensure our soldiers and airmen are ready, trained to deploy the COCOMs around the world \u2014 including, this year, adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols and quarantines before to ship out in order to minimize the spread of the virus. <\/p>\n<p>I know that many of you deployed yourselves, probably more than once.  Over the past 20 years, our volunteer force and our military families have made incredible sacrifices for this country. <\/p>\n<p>Early in my term as Vice President, when I traveled overseas, I\u2019d sometimes meet service men and women who were deployed their fourth, fifth, sixth times.  I remember going into Baghdad, just remember \u2014 and those of you who had to fly in, you do those circular deals so we wouldn\u2019t get shot at, we wouldn\u2019t get hit. <\/p>\n<p>I walked up in the cockpit of a silver bullet that they had me in.  And I asked \u2014 I said, \u201cHow many\u2026\u201d \u2014 there were five people in the cockpit at the time \u2014 the loadmaster as well.  I said, \u201cHow many is this your first tour?\u201d  Nobody raised their hand.  \u201cHow many the second tour?\u201d  Nobody raised their hand.  \u201cThird tour?\u201d  Two raised their hand.  \u201cFourth tour?\u201d  Two raised their hand.  \u201cFifth tour?\u201d  One raised their hand.  No other war have you gone in, served, and got back up and go back again and again and again.  Once.  Once. <\/p>\n<p>Wiping the blood off the seat of an up-armored HMMWV is enough to get you focused.  Then to saddle up next time and go back and back again?  You\u2019re incredible.  You\u2019re incredible. <\/p>\n<p>The country \u2014 they owe you, and they\u2019re \u2014 this time, they\u2019re more appreciative.  In my generation, you didn\u2019t come home and get off an airplane in a uniform in an airport coming back from Vietnam.  People will treat you with respect, but they have no idea the sacrifices you make in theater. <\/p>\n<p>As we bring \u2014 as we get close to bringing down the longest war drawdown in American history \u2014 our troop presence in Afghanistan \u2014 I want to recognize the significance to \u2014 of what all of you, the United States Armed Forces, have accomplished in the past 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>Went to Afghanistan with a clear purpose: to get the people who attacked us on 9\/11 and to prevent al Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a base from which to attack America in the future.  To achieve that purpose \u2014 you achieved that purpose.  Year after year, deployment after deployment, American troops pursued the terrorist threat through some of the most unforgiving terrain on the planet. <\/p>\n<p>I have now had the pleasure, as they say, of being to every part of Afghanistan, from the FOBs up in the Kunar Valley; down south, looking at all those poppy fields; and all in between.  It\u2019s one godforsaken landscape. <\/p>\n<p>But you all just showed up and did your job, and it helped make sure there hasn\u2019t been another attack on the homeland from Afghanistan for the last 20 years.  And you never gave up until we delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n<p>I got criticized after 9\/11 for saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll follow the son of a bi- \u2014 gun to the gates of hell until we get him.\u201d  It\u2019s exactly what you did.  That\u2019s exactly what you did.  And you got him.<\/p>\n<p>And now, as we draw down, we\u2019re also going to focus on the urgent work of rebuilding over-the-horizon capabilities that\u2019ll allow us to take out al Qaeda if they return to Afghanistan \u2014 but to focus on the threat that has metastasized. <\/p>\n<p>The greatest threat and likelihood of attack from al Qaeda or ISIS is not going to be from Afghanistan; it\u2019s going to be from five other regions of the world that have significantly more presence of both al Qaeda and organizational structures, including ISIS.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re going to update our security stance and turn our forces to the threats that will dominate our future to ensure the security of the American people for decades to come. <\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019ll never, ever, ever forget the terrible cost that we paid as a nation.  Many of you likely have lost friends and colleagues in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I know this is personal to you, especially as you head into Memorial Day weekend.  We as a nation will always remember and pay tribute to those we lost. <\/p>\n<p>After I announced my decision to end the war in Afghanistan, the first thing I did was visit \u2014 visit Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery \u2014 just walked through those headstones, seeing all those stones. <\/p>\n<p>Our son did not die in Iraq, but he came back \u2014 went as an incredibly healthy young man and came back with a severe brain tumor because his hooch was just downwind from those burn pits \u2014 I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the reason.  But he came home \u2014 it was just a matter of how long he lived. <\/p>\n<p>I still carry with me \u2014 every single solitary day I have my staff, for the last \u2014 since the war began \u2014 I have my schedule.  In the back of my schedule, it says, \u201cU.S. daily troop update.  U.S. troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,927\u201d \u2014 not \u201cover 6,000.\u201d  Total fallen angels across the board: over 7,000.<\/p>\n<p>Every one of these lives lost is a tragedy, an empty seat at the dinner table, a missing voice at the holidays.  Every one of them left behind a whole community \u2014 not just one, a whole community.  We can never repay that debt.  But I promise you this \u2014 and to all the Gold Star families across the country: We will never, ever, ever, ever forget. <\/p>\n<p>Each year, Memorial Day offers us a chance to reflect on the enormity of the sacrifices that generation after generation of Americans has made and the responsibilities that we bear \u2014 the citizens bear in return. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve said many times \u2014 it used to get me in trouble 25 years ago, 30 years ago in the Senate \u2014 I said, \u201cAmerica has many obligations.  We only have one sacred obligation.  We have obligations to our children, to the elderly, and so many more things, but only one sacred obligation \u2014 is to prepare you, when we send you into harm\u2019s way, with everything you need; to care for your families when you\u2019re gone; when you come home, care for you and your families, and the needs that may be a consequence of the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We owe it.  We owe it to you.  We particularly owe it to their memories to affirm the very best of what America stands for \u2014 to uphold honor and democratic values that are the foundation and the strength of this nation.<\/p>\n<p>You know, I sometimes get criticized for saying what I deeply believe, having done this for the bulk of my life.  We\u2019re in a \u2014 we\u2019re in a battle between democracies and autocracies.  The more complicated the world becomes, the more difficult it is for democracies to come together and reach consensus.  I\u2019ve spent more time with President Xi of China than any world leader has \u2014 for 24 hours of private meetings with him with just an interpreter; 17,000 miles traveling with him in China and here. He firmly believes that China, before the year \u201930, \u201935,  is going to own America because autocracies can make quick decisions. <\/p>\n<p>But America is unique.  From all nations in the world, we\u2019re the only nation organized based on an idea.  Every other nation you can define by their ethnicity, their geography, their religion, except America.  America is born out of an idea: \u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal\u2026 endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, [including] Life, Liberty,\u201d et cetera. <\/p>\n<p>None of you get your rights from your government; you get your rights merely because you\u2019re a child of God.  The government is there to protect those God-given rights.  No other government has been based on that notion.  No one can defeat us except us. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an idea that generations of patriots have fought and died for to defend it.  I know that\u2019s a conviction that each and every day you all share.  That\u2019s why you joined up, why you run around danger when duty calls. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s my greatest honor \u2014 it should not surprise anybody; it should be anybody\u2019s greatest honor in all of life \u2014 to be able to serve as your Commander-in-Chief.  No greater honor.<\/p>\n<p>So, thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you for spending this time with me today.  And thank you for your commitment to our country, because without you, as I said \u2014 I\u2019ll be \u2014 end where I began: You are the spine of America \u2014 the spine. <\/p>\n<p>And I can\u2019t tell you how much it matters.  I think you underestimate just the consequence of who you are and what you do. <\/p>\n<p>So, thank you.  May God bless you.  And may God protect our troops.  Thanks.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hampton, Virginia&#8230;.I\u2019ll let you guys get comfortable. (Laughs.) Colonel Ross \u2014 Clint, it\u2019s wonderful to see you again. Thank you. When our path last crossed, as Jill said, you were serving in the White House. And I never thought we\u2019d be standing here today doing what we\u2019re doing today. And, Chief Master Sergeant Peterson, thank [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Fullscreen-capture-5302021-104618-AM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/121573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}