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Biden says goodbye to the troops

4 0
17.01.2025
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Bien says goodbye to the troops

President Biden on Thursday continued his farewell tour with wide-ranging final remarks to U.S. service members, touting his defense record while praising the military and urging them to remember their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

© Evan Vucci, Associated Press

President Biden on Thursday continued his farewell tour of Washington, D.C., with wide-ranging final remarks to U.S. service members, touting his defense record while praising the military and urging them to remember their oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

“Our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protecting and defending not a person or a party or a place, but an idea,” Biden said. “That’s the idea that generations of service members have fought for, an idea you have sworn an oath to defend as a nation. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never, ever, ever walked away from it. Our country is counting on you to ensure that will always be true.”

Biden — addressing a crowd of service members and officials including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Charles Q. Brown Jr., Vice President Harris and first lady Jill Biden — moments earlier had received a Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal.

He then took to the podium to praise troops, sailors and airmen for representing “America’s character, honesty, integrity, [and] commitment.”

“Every time I’m here, it’s made me so damn proud to be an American,” Biden said at the farewell ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Fort Myer in Arlington, Va.

“Serving as your commander in chief has been the greatest honor of my life. While I’m deeply grateful for your thanks and affection, I’m here to thank you. Thank you for your service to our nation, for allowing me to bear witness to your courage, your commitment, your character.”

He went on to highlight myriad actions during his time in the White House, including investing “record resources to fight the scourge of military suicide,” bringing veteran homelessness to new lows, changes in the military justice system — which he said has reduced the rates of sexual assault for the first time in nearly a decade — ending President-elect Trump’s enacted ban on transgender service members, creating more economic opportunities for military spouses, and expanding opportunities for........

© The Hill