Biden Speaks of Nation’s Obligation to ‘Prepare and Equip Those We Send Into Harm’s Way’ at Arlington – Opinion

Joe Biden gave remarks on Memorial Day, after participating in the wreath-laying ceremony for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

“Today, we renew our sacred vow. It’s a simple vow. Remember. Remember. Memorial Day is a day when pride and pain mix together. This is what we know, and it’s something that all of us can see. Jill and me know this. This is the anniversary of our son’s death. Folks, in case your beloved one has died in service to our country, the ceremonies will reopen the black hole that binds your chest and suffocates.

. . .

“Days like this bring back before your eyes their smile and their laugh. It’s the last time you spoke. You all know this. This can cause immense pain. But for so many of you, as is with Jill and me, the hurt is wrapped around the knowledge that your loved one was part of something bigger — bigger than any of us. Their life was full of purpose.

“They had a mission, and above all they believed in duty, they believed in honor, they believed in their country, and still today we are free because they were brave.

“As hard as it is for many to believe, especially those whose loss is still raw, I promise you the day will com when the memory of your loved one, your patriot, will bring a smile to your lip before it brings a tear to your eye. That’s when you know you’re going to make it.”

Biden emphasized the nation’s duty to take care of those left behind, and spoke about legislation to help veterans who have become ill or died after exposure to burn pits during the Iraq War and to provide benefits to their survivors.

Without specifically mentioning the 13 who died in Afghanistan since last Memorial Day, Biden spoke of the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan “conflicts”:

7054 American service members died during the 20-years of conflict in Iraq/Afghanistan. Untold others died of injuries and illness connected to their service in these wars, and the enduring grief borne by the survivors is a cost of war that we’ll carry as a nation forever.

While Biden’s words strike the right notes, for those who lost a loved one either in battle in a foreign country or to the battle that loved one continued to fight in their soul after they physically returned stateside, they ring hollow.

I’ve often said that as a nation we have many obligations. The only one that is truly sacred, the only truly sacred obligation we have is to prepare and equip those women and men we send into harms way and care for them and their families when they return home, and when they don’t. It is an obligation that unites Americans and brings us all together to ensure that the men and women who gave their lives to us receive the best of us back.

I’ve tried to be respectful while covering these remarks because of the occasion and location of the remarks, and to not take issue with Biden’s comments, but I must take issue with what he said above. According to his own words, Biden intentionally failed a “truly sacred obligation” by not preparing and equipping those he sent to Kabul last summer, by setting them up for failure and condemning 13 to death in a terrorist attack, and by leaving equipment behind for the enemy. This disrespectful act by Biden is to make such remarks at Arlington following that loss.