President Biden honored America’s fallen troops on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, emphasizing the responsibility of Americans to be “keepers of their mission” while reflecting on his own son Beau’s death from brain cancer.
“Today, we’re not just fortunate heirs of their legacy; we have a responsibility to be the keepers of their mission — that truest memorial to their lives: the actions we take every day to ensure that our democracy endures,” the 81-year-old president said after laying a wreath at the military cemetery.
Biden, whose son Beau died in 2015, expressed his understanding of the grief experienced by families in attendance and highlighted the expansion of veteran health treatment under the PACT Act, which he signed in 2022.
Joining Biden at the ceremony were Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Commanding Army General Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp. Together, they participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“I know it hurts. The hurt is still real, still raw. This week marks nine years since I lost my son, Beau,” Biden shared. “Our losses are not the same. He didn’t perish on the battlefield. He was a cancer victim from a consequence of being in the Army in Iraq for a year next to a burn pit — a major in the US National Army, National Guard, living and working by too many besides that toxic burn pit.”
Reflecting on his son’s service and the pain of his loss, Biden continued, “And as it is for so many of you, the pain of his loss is with me every day, as it is with you — still sharp, still clear, but so is the pride I feel in his service, as if I can still hear him saying, ‘It’s my duty, Dad, it’s my duty.’ Duty, that was the code my son lived by and the creed all of you live by — the creed that generations of service members have followed into battle. On the grounds around us lie fallen heroes from every major conflict in history, to defend our independence, to preserve our union, to defeat fascism, to build powerful alliances forged in the fires of two world wars.”
Biden also noted his upcoming trip to Normandy next month to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, highlighting the crucial role American troops played in liberating Nazi-occupied France. “Decade after decade, tour after tour, these warriors fought for our freedom and the freedom of others because freedom has never been guaranteed,” he said. “Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy, between the greed of a few and the rights of many.”
