From Yahoo:
“Biden pays tribute to late son Beau in Veterans Day speech”
(US President Joe Biden speaks at the Memorial Amphitheater
in Arlington National Cemetery during celebrations for Veterans Day, on 11 November 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.)
Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday. Mr Biden delivered
remarks and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony with vice-president Kamala
Harris at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark Arlington’s 70th National
Veterans Day Observance. The president avoided any mention of the war in Gaza
in his speech, as he comes under intense pressure to push for a ceasefire by
Israeli forces. As he spoke, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near his
Delaware home to call for an immediate end to the Israeli offensive which has
claimed more than 11,000 lives in Gaza.
Mr Biden told how he could still feel the “overwhelming
pride” as his son received the Bronze Star Medal posthumously for his service
with the 261st Signal Brigade of the Delaware National Guard during his
deployment to Iraq in 2008. “Like so many of you, Veterans Day is personal to
Jill and me,” he said. “On this day I can still see my son, the attorney
general of Delaware, standing ramrod straight as I pinned his bars on him the
day he joined the Army National Guard in Delaware.” Beau Biden, the president’s
eldest son, died in 2015 from brain cancer that the president believes was
linked to his exposure to toxic carcinogens from burn pits during his time
serving in Iraq. Mr Biden said he asked Beau why he had enlisted. “He said
‘Dad, it’s my duty’. That was the code my son lived by and the creed that
millions of veterans have followed.”
The president touted new policies on veterans’ healthcare,
which will see all living World War II veterans receive free medical treatment.
He announced he was expanding resources to the PACT Act, which helps veterans
exposed to burn pits during active duty. Mr Biden also announced the launch of
a new Veteran Scam and Fraud Evasion task force. He said the United States had
“one truly sacred obligation” which was to care for soldiers after they
returned from active duty. “Only one per cent of our society today protects the
other 99 per cent,” he said.
^ It’s important for Americans to remember the Men and Women
that risked everything to protect us and that are still alive today – although their
numbers are going down. ^
https://news.yahoo.com/biden-pays-tribute-son-beau-182821635.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
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