00:00It's the 46th president of the United States, Delaware's Joe Biden.
00:04Let's hear it. On repeat. Let me hear you.
00:07Put it on you. Woo!
00:14Grab your hand. Grab your hand. Thank you.
00:19Now come on, you can do better than that. Come on.
00:21Knock it out of the park.
00:30Thank you very much.
00:34The greatest honor of my life has been for four years of being the commander in chief of the United States.
00:43The fact is that I don't think if I had come from any other state that would have happened.
00:50But in Delaware, everybody knows everybody.
00:55And it's important. It's important.
00:58Because, you know, we had that expression for the longest time.
01:02We do things the Delaware way.
01:04The Delaware way.
01:07Members of the House and Senate know. Democrat or Republican.
01:10You learn to work together for the benefit of Delaware.
01:14Now remember, Tommy, you've been coming here for decades.
01:18First time I was here, I was reminded of that quote from R.G. Ingersoll, who said,
01:27when the will defies fear,
01:31when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate,
01:35when they shun compromise for death, with death, that's heroism.
01:42I remember thinking that that day, the first time.
01:46Thinking about my uncles in World War II.
01:49Thinking about people I knew.
01:51Thinking about all the people who had laid down their lives.
01:55And ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be with so many friends on this solemn occasion.
02:01Tommy, Kyle, Lisa, Sarah, Nolan.
02:06And you're all outstanding leaders and proud Delawareans.
02:11And, Chaplain, thank you for your invocation.
02:14And I want to acknowledge the keynote speaker today, a pathbreaker and a patriot.
02:20Chief Warrant Officer, Ernestine Epps.
02:23Ernestine, thank you.
02:24Thank you for being willing to do this.
02:25I'm looking forward to hearing you.
02:30Folks, every year we come together to remember,
02:35to remember, to remember the brave women and men
02:40who gave their all for this nation.
02:43Or as Lincoln called it,
02:45the last full measure of devotion.
02:48That's what it was, the last full measure of devotion.
02:52They laid down their lives so we could live our lives in peace
02:58and maybe the most important word, with possibilities.
03:02And I know, I know I speak for everyone here when I say,
03:07we remember them every single day.
03:10Not just this day, but every day,
03:12the people assembled under this tent.
03:14Remember them every day.
03:16We come together to remember the families that are left behind,
03:19the hearts that still carry the weight of their absence,
03:25the ache that never fully goes away.
03:29We come together to remember the debt we owe
03:32to the American military.
03:35The military is a solid spine,
03:38the spine of our nation.
03:40Our troops, our veterans,
03:44our military families,
03:46and our Gold Star families in particular.
03:50Only around 1% of all Americans
03:54defend 99% of us.
03:571%.
03:58Just 1% of Americans
04:01risk the ultimate sacrifice.
04:05We owe them so much more than we can ever repay them.
04:08We have many obligations as a nation,
04:11but only one truly sacred obligation.
04:15Sacred obligation.
04:17That's to equip those we send into harm's way
04:21and care for them when their families,
04:23when they come home and when they don't come home.
04:27It's a sacred obligation.
04:28I know for many of you,
04:32Memorial Day, like for us, is deeply personal.
04:36For the Bidens,
04:38this day is the 10th anniversary
04:41of the loss of my son, Beau,
04:42who spent a year in Iraq.
04:46And to be honest,
04:48it's a hard day.
04:50His son and I, Hunter, who's here in the crowd,
04:53I don't know where you're sitting, Hunter,
04:55but all the way in the back there.
05:03His daddy came to this event with me.
05:05We were a lot the same age when he started.
05:07He just graduated from high school,
05:08heading off to college.
05:10And you know, it's a,
05:15being with all of you,
05:17but quite frankly, it makes things a little bit easier.
05:19It really does.
05:20So thank you for allowing me to grieve with you.
05:26Some of you know,
05:27some of you knew my son, Beau.
05:30He served in the Delaware National Guard,
05:33including a year in Iraq.
05:36Remember, I got a phone call.
05:37I was in Washington.
05:37He said, Dad, can you,
05:38what are you doing Friday?
05:40I said, what do you need, honey?
05:41He said, I want you to pin my bars on.
05:42I said, pin your bars on?
05:45You have two kids.
05:47Dad, somebody's got to do this, Dad.
05:50The proudest day of his life
05:52is putting that uniform on.
05:53That's not a joke.
05:54That's not hyperbole.
05:55That's real.
05:57And you know,
05:58it's one of the proudest things I ever did,
05:59pinning that,
06:00his bars on him.
06:02And it means so much to our family
06:04at the headquarters of the Delaware National Guard
06:07has been renamed after Beau.
06:12His legacy lives on.
06:13His children, his grandchildren,
06:15his great-grandchildren,
06:16like those you lost,
06:18will be remembered.
06:19They'll remember who he was.
06:21And just like the legacy
06:23of all our fallen heroes lives on,
06:27they live on in us.
06:29And they live on
06:31in the strength and freedom of our nation.
06:34That sounds like hyperbole,
06:35but it's real.
06:37It's literal.
06:38So everyone,
06:40everyone who came here today to grieve
06:42with grief in their heart,
06:45please know,
06:46you're not alone.
06:48You'll never be alone.
06:50And your loved one will never be forgotten.
06:53Period.
06:54My friends,
06:56Memorial Day is about something profound.
06:59Our politics have become so divided
07:01and so bitter.
07:03All the years I've been doing this,
07:05I never thought we'd get to this point.
07:07But we are.
07:08Our troops don't wear a uniform
07:10that says,
07:10I'm a Democrat
07:11or I'm a Republican.
07:13He says,
07:13I'm an American.
07:14I'm an American.
07:15That's who I am.
07:18I'm serious about this.
07:20I'm not joking.
07:20And folks,
07:24our politics has become,
07:25as I said,
07:26so divided.
07:28They wear the uniform
07:29of the United States of America.
07:32The only nation in the world,
07:34literally,
07:35not free,
07:36the only nation in the world
07:37founded on an idea,
07:39an idea.
07:41Every nation was founded
07:42on geography,
07:43ethnicity,
07:44some unifying principle,
07:47but not an idea.
07:48The idea of America
07:50is founded out.
07:51We hold these truths
07:52to be self-evident,
07:53that all men and women
07:54are created equal.
07:56Endowed by the creator
07:57of certain inalienable rights,
07:58life, liberty,
07:59pursuit of that.
08:00We made it.
08:01That's who we are.
08:02That's what makes America
08:03the most unique nation
08:04in the world,
08:05literally,
08:06not figuratively.
08:08In fact, folks,
08:10you know,
08:11for generation after generation,
08:13the profound idea
08:14has been defended
08:15by ordinary citizens
08:17who stepped up
08:19and answered the call.
08:21Because of them,
08:23American democracy
08:24has endured
08:25for nearly 250 years.
08:28Every generation,
08:30every generation,
08:32every generation
08:33has to fight
08:34to maintain that democracy.
08:36Every time,
08:38every generation.
08:39Because of them,
08:41our government
08:42is still of the people,
08:43by the people,
08:44and for the people.
08:45they,
08:46they are we,
08:49and we are still free.
08:51And now,
08:52we must make sure
08:53that sacrifice
08:54has never been in vain.
08:56Let me close with this.
08:58The women and men
08:59we honor today
09:00are no longer with us,
09:03but you can still
09:04hear their echoes.
09:06Literally,
09:06can't you,
09:07if you've lost anybody?
09:08You can hear their echoes.
09:09The echoes
09:10of their voices.
09:13They're asking,
09:14what will we do?
09:17We who are alive,
09:18we who remain.
09:20They're not asking us
09:21to risk our lives.
09:23They're asking us
09:24to stay true
09:25to what America stands for.
09:27They're not asking us
09:28to do their jobs.
09:30They're asking us
09:31to do our job,
09:33to protect our nation,
09:35in our time,
09:38now,
09:39to defend democracy,
09:41be part of something
09:42bigger than ourselves.
09:45So today,
09:47let's renew our pledge
09:49to honor our heroes.
09:51I mean this sincerely.
09:52Renew our pledge
09:52to honor our heroes.
09:54Think of what they did.
09:55Think what they'd be doing
09:56if they were standing here
09:57today with us.
09:59Not only with our words,
10:01with our deeds.
10:01to care for their families,
10:05to support our veterans,
10:07with more, not less.
10:10I get really angry
10:12when I hear about
10:13veterans are seeking too much.
10:16They're not enough.
10:19That's where I wrote
10:20the legislation relating
10:21to Gold Star families
10:23and the rest.
10:25It's an obligation we have.
10:26It's a matter of honor.
10:28Honor.
10:30Ladies and gentlemen,
10:31to make sure our democracy
10:33always lives up
10:34to their bravery,
10:37to their bravery.
10:39And I want to thank you
10:40very much
10:40and I want to recognize
10:41the guy who's brand new
10:42to all this.
10:43He's only a little
10:44over 100 years old.
10:46But I tell you what, man,
10:49I, every time I come,
10:51I love seeing him
10:52because he always
10:52pats me on the face
10:54and gives me a kiss.
10:57Sir,
10:58thank you for all you've done.
11:00your generation
11:01and every generation
11:02since then.
11:03And folks,
11:04I want to say this
11:13from the bottom of my heart,
11:14thank you,
11:15particularly
11:16to the Gold Star families.
11:22The country owes you.
11:53I can't see you there.
11:55You got a good breath.
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