Veterans Day services were held this past Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery, where Vice President Joe Biden spoke to active and veteran military personnel.
Vice President Biden’s speech centred on the American military rising to the challenge and defeating darkness and evil, but he did not directly address the continuing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Obama spoke at the Memorial Amphitheatre, where he reflected on the role of American veterans in keeping freedom’s flame burning around the world.
Vice President Harris, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, and other military leaders also attended, in addition to Vice President Joe Biden.
“Our veterans are the steel spine of this nation, and their families, like so many of you, are the courageous heart,” said Vice President Joe Biden.
The United States is a key contributor of military aid and security assistance to Ukraine in its battle with Russia and to Israel in its struggle with Hamas, despite the absence of American boots on the ground fighting in these conflicts.
In his remarks, Vice President Biden praised the PACT Act, which was passed and signed into law in 2016. The purpose of the bill was to improve healthcare access for veterans and their families who had been exposed to harmful substances.
In response to the fact that “too many of our nation’s warriors have served, only to return home to suffer from permanent effects of this poisonous smoke,” Vice President Joe Biden announced that, beginning in March 2024, all veterans who had been exposed to toxins while serving in any conflict covered by the PACT Act would become eligible to enrol in VA healthcare.
The Biden-Harris campaign also released a TV ad focused on the legislation, timed to Veterans Day.
Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, had brain cancer after being exposed to burn pits in Iraq.
I’ll never forget the day I put his bars on him and he officially became the Attorney General of Delaware and a member of the Delaware Army and National Guard. I can still feel the enormous pride of Major Beau Biden earning the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and the Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross,” he remarked. It’s true that “we miss him.”
I can finally glimpse the dawn of freedom today. Our ancestors lived by it, and so do we. We need to consider collectively what it is we can and must do to maintain that flame. Biden concluded his talk by saying.