Biden pays tribute to soldiers’ sacrifice on Veterans Day

Washington, Nov 11 (EFE).- President Joe Biden said Thursday that the people of the United States must remember and honor the sacrifices made by US military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“For two decades, the lives of our service members and their families and veterans have been shaped by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said in a Veterans Day address at Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of some 400,000 people who served in conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War.

“Since 9/11, hundreds of thousands of Americans have served. So many are still serving today in harm’s way, and we cannot forget them,” the president said.

“Our veterans represent the best of America. You are the very spine of America, not just the backbone. You’re the spine of this country. And all of us – all of us – owe you,” he said.

Biden recalled a speech he made decades ago as a young senator in which he proclaimed caring for veterans and their families as the “one truly sacred obligation” of the government.

“And to all veterans, service members, their families, caregivers, survivors: I want you to know that our administration is going to meet the sacred obligation that we owe you,” he said.

“We’re going to work with Congress – Republicans and Democrats together – to make sure our veterans receive the world-class benefits that they’ve earned, and meet the sacred – the specific care – specific needs that they each individually need,” the president said. EFE

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