Speaking at the Memorial Amphitheater, the commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces said that America’s veterans are “the steel backbone of the country.” He spoke of the famous battles of American troops, emphasizing that the soldiers who participated in them “are united by a chain of honor that dates back to the founding of our country.”
“Today we gather to once again honor the generations of Americans who have been on the front lines of freedom. To witness once again the great deeds of a few noble people who risked everything, everything, to give us a better future,” he said, paying tribute to those who “have always kept the light shining throughout the world.”
The president recalled his son Beau explaining why he joined the military. “He said, ‘Dad, it’s my duty.’ Duty. It was the code my son lived by and the creed followed by millions of veterans,” Biden said.
While serving in Iraq, Beau Biden was exposed to toxic substances. The US president said he believed there was a link between this exposure and the brain cancer that ultimately killed his son.
Biden also announced new measures to support American veterans and their families.
US President Joe Biden lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. November 11, 2023
On Veterans Day, Americans honor all those who have served and continue to serve in the United States Armed Forces, both during war and peace.
Originally, the day became a holiday to mark the end of World War I, which formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919 in France. But the fighting actually stopped seven months earlier, after the armistice and temporary cessation of hostilities between the Allied countries and Germany, which came into effect on November 11, 1918.
In 1919, then-US President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first celebration of Armistice Day, and in 1938 the day was officially declared a national federal holiday. In 1954, the United States Congress renamed the holiday Veterans Day, in honor of all those who served in the United States Armed Forces.
