Biden Delivers Remarks for Veterans Day, Recalls Late Son

presentent present [Music] [Music] are [Music] [Music] in thank you thank you thank you thank you my fellow Americans on this day 105 years ago the Great War ended as news of Peace reached the front lines of France a young American Soldier sent a letter home to his parents in Missouri and I and I'll quote it said if only you all could see he wrote fighting stopped lanterns shine in every window and door end of quote for those who had fought in this war unlike any War the world had ever seen before it was a symbol a reminder that as long as those who stand for Freedom Light will always try triumph over darkness my fellow Americans Jill vice president Harris second gentlem manof secretary McDon secretary budes is here secretary moorus acting secretary Sue director Haynes deputy secretary Hicks Vice chairman Grady and most importantly our veterans and service members and equally as important their families come together today to once again honor the generations of Americans who stood on the front lines of freedom to once again bear witness to the great Deeds of a noble few who risked everything everything to give us a better future those who have always always kept the light of Liberty shining bright across the world our veterans that's not hyperbole our veterans every year on the 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month We Gather in this sanctuary of sacrifice to pause to pay tribute to these Patriots of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world as commanderin-chief I have no higher honor as a father of a son who served I have no greater privilege like it's for so many of you Veterans Day is personal to Jill and me 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 I can still feel the overwhelming pride in major Bo Biden receiving the Bronze Star the Legion of Merit in the Delaware conspicuous service cross we miss him I can still hear my wife Jill every morning she get up to go to school to teach praying over cup of coffee during the year he was deployed to Iraq and 6 months before that he was a civilian overseas like it was yesterday I can still hear what he told me when he signed up to serve I said Bo why it's a God's truth he said Dad it's my duty duty that was the code my son lived by in the Creed the millions of veterans have followed from Bella Woods to Baghdad to Gettysburg to guat Canal from Korea to Kandahar and Beyond each one link in a chain of Honor that stretches back to our founding days each one Bound by a sacred oath to support and defend not a place not a person not a president but an idea to defend an idea unlike any other in human history that idea is the United States of America we're the only nation in the world only nation in the world that's built on an idea Every Other Nation is based on things like geography ethnicity religion we're the only nation built on the idea that we are all all created equal owed by our creator with certain inalienable rights we haven't always lived up to it but because our veterans because of you we've never walked away from it for throughout the animals of History whenever and wherever the force of darkness is sought to extinguish the light of Liberty American veterans have been holding the lantern high as they can for all of us they were there when the determined band of Patriots sparked the revolution delivering a nation where everyone everyone is endowed with certain inalienable rights they were there less than a century later they gave our nation a new birth of Freedom they were there when the forces of fascism brought the fight to the trenches of Europe and the Bloody beaches of Normandy they were there and called upon to face depression in the Frozen rice patties of Korea and the sweltering jungles of Vietnam and they were there when darkness came to our Shores signing up for tour after tour after tour to keep our democracy safe and secure these last two decades folks as a nation we owe them we owe you not just for keeping the flame of Freedom burning during the darkest of moments but for serving our communities even after they hang up their uniforms for inspiring the Next Generation to serve we see this at barracks and bases all across America where young women and men continue to risk their own own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans we see it around the world and all the countries I've been in when our troops continue to stand with our allies against the forces of tyranny and terrorism to this day wherever the forces of Darkness have sought to extinguish the light of Liberty American troops are there and right by their side are their families as English poet John Milton wrote they also serve who only stand in wait they also serve who only stand in waight our veterans are the steel spine of this nation and their families like so many of you are the courageous heart most Americans will never see the sacrifices that you as family members also make they'll never see those holidays those birthdays made special even with the empty seat at the dinner table they'll never see all the packing and unpacking readying the family to make another move needing to move to a new school a new job for the spouse they'll never see all those nights spent waiting for word from a loved one deployed overseas because you're not sure too often your second sacrifices go without thanks or without acknowledgement but we must remember only 1% 1% of our society today protects 99% of us 1% we owe them we owe you so to all the families across our nation to all those who are grieving the loss of a loved one who wore the uniform to all those with loved ones still missing or unaccounted for I want to say to you we see you we stand with you and we will not forget just as you have kept the ultimate Faith to our country we will keep the faith with you as a nation I've said many times we have many obligations but we only have one truly sacred obligation to prepare those we send into Harm's Way and to care for them and their families when they return home it's not an obligation based on party or politics but on a promise that unites us all and together over the last three years we worked to make good on that promise passing more than 30 bipartisan laws to support our veterans and their families caregivers and survivors that includes the PCT act on most significant laws ever to help millions of veterans were exposed to toxins and burn pits during their military service pissed the size of football fields that incinerated with the waste of War tires chemicals jet fuel and so much more too many of our nation's Warriors have served only to return home to suffer from permanent effects of this poisonous smoke too many have died in the 15 months since I we wrote and signed the PCT act a half a million veterans and they're surviving family members have already started receiving benefits but far far too many are still not getting what they need the care they deserve that's why I'm proud to announce that any toxin exposed veteran who served in any conflict out in the packed act will be able to ro be able to enroll on VA Healthcare starting March of next year we're not stopping there the past year we've delivered more benefits processed more claims than ever before in VA history we expanded resources to end veterans homelessness end veterans poverty and the silent scourge of suicide which is taking more veterans and warriors we're launching a new initiative to protect veterans from scams because no one should be defrauded by those they defended for God's sake through Jill's work and others in joining forces we've also announced the most comprehensive set of actions in our nation's history to strengthen econom IC opportunity for military and Veteran spouses caregivers and survivors and this year as we marked 75 years of a desegregated military 75 years of women's integration in the military and 50 years of an all volunteer Force we've doubled down on our efforts to ensure all troops all veterans get the services they need and then no veteran is denied the honor they earn because they was discharged for being lbtq [Applause] plus it matters it matters to the vet from the state of Delaware who after years of being homeless after years of living in a tent made of his own uniforms finally got a roof over his head it matters to the vetan Arkansas who after answering Duty's call on 911 after after dealing with debilitating post-traumatic stress for years finally is able to receive tailored Mental Health Care has changed his life it matters to the vet from Utah after flying mission after mission over burn pits in Iraq after being diagnosed with cancer at just 23 years of age is finally receiving full coverage for his treatment it matters matters the veteran Florida who has being exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam after applying and being rejected for benefits four times finally as he wrote to me in a letter quote is able to get by a little easier now Today We Gather not only to honor these stories but the stories of all veterans for it's a story of our nation at its best a nation that stands as one to forge a better future for all a nation that faces down fear generation after generation a nation that meets Darkness with light again and again and again no matter how high the cost no matter how heavy the burden ladies and gentlemen for nearly 250 years the sacrifice of many of you sitting in front of me and behind me and those who served have kept our country free and our democracy strong as that young Soldier wrote more than a century ago after World War I ended if you only could see lanterns shine in every window and door today we not only see that light of Liberty we live by it and just like our forbearers it's on all of us all of us together to ask ourselves what can we do what must we do to keep that light burning to keep it shining in every window and door for generations to come I know we can I know we will because as our veterans know best we are the United States of America and there's nothing nothing nothing beyond our capacity nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together together God bless you all God bless our veterans and may God protects our our troops today and always thank you and thank you for your service