Speaker 1 (00:06):
Acknowledgments from our honorable Governor Matthew Meyer during his absence and his regret. The Honorable Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay, the Honorable U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, the Honorable U.S. Representative Sarah McBride, the Honorable former U.S. Senator Tom Carper, the Honorable Secretary of State, Pat Abanda Sanchez, the Honorable Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, the Honorable Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro, the Honorable Delaware Auditor of Accounts Lydia York, Adjutant Major General James Benson, President pro tempore of the Delaware State Senate Senator Dave Sokola, State Representative and Chair of the House of Veterans Affairs Committee nominee Chapoco, representatives and senators of the Delaware General Assembly, Executive Director of the Delaware River and Bay Authority Tom Cook, Executive Director of the Wilmington VA Medical Center Vamsee Potluri, Acting Director of the Office of Veterans Services Dennis Linehan, right here. Delaware Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, I have to my left my Vice Chair Doug Hudson, also Commissioner McGuire, Commissioner Rambo, Commissioner Espino, Commissioner Schroeder and Commissioner Horwood. I don't see him. [inaudible 00:03:19]. The Delaware River and Bay Authority commissioners, and last but not least, our Gold Star families.
(03:56)
We extend our thanks to all other officials, service members, veteran service organizations, family members and all veterans in attendance who were not formally recognized. It is now time for our Memorial Day messages. At this time, please welcome former U.S. Senator Tom Carper. [inaudible 00:04:32].
Tom Carper (04:36):
Good morning.
Audience (04:36):
Good morning.
Tom Carper (04:39):
How are you doing?
Audience (04:39):
Good.
Tom Carper (04:42):
Great to be with all of you today. Martha and I are delighted that you're here. We're delighted that we are here. Some of us have been coming here for quite a while, Mr. President, and glad we're able to make it and delighted that you're all able to make it as well. To all of our elected officials that lead our state, our county, help lead our country, Lisa Blunt Rochester whose office is in 513 Hart, my old office in the [inaudible 00:05:11]. Her office, she sits at my old desk and it looks a lot better I must say. But it's great to be here with all of you. I want to start off with some thank-yous if I may. I want to thank the people of Delaware for welcoming me here, gosh over 50 years ago. I've been a Naval flight officer in the Vietnam War three tours, and I came back home to the U.S. and made my way to Delaware and got an MBA at the University of Delaware. Thank God for the GI Bill.
(05:46)
Anybody here use the GI Bill? Anybody here use the GI Bill? Let's hear it for the GI Bill. This guy right up here probably did more than anybody I know to make sure we have a terrific GI Bill. But thank you for that GI Bill. Thank you for giving me the privilege to serve as your state treasurer, as your congressman, as your governor, and as your United States Senator. What a privilege it has been. My job is to introduce the 46th president of the United States. Ever try to introduce somebody that doesn't need an introduction? Well at this audience, with these people and all of you here today, this particular fellow doesn't need an introduction. My guess is that all of us could come up here and everybody could help give that introduction, but I think it falls on me to do that today.
(06:37)
Before I do that, I want to take a minute if I can and share with you, not everybody knows how we ended up with Memorial Day. In fact, my guess is most of us don't. And before I introduce President Biden, I'm going to take just a minute or two and just tell us where Memorial Day came from. How do we end up with Memorial Day in this country? Fellow named Frederick Douglass, one of the early giants in the history of our country, believed that Decoration Day, some of you may remember Decoration Day, which was the original name for Memorial Day, was our nation's most significant holiday. On May 30th, 1871, the fourth annual observance of Decoration Day, he honored the unknown Union soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery who died in the Civil War.
(07:32)
Douglass spoke that day of his concern that, with the passage of time, the lives of 400,000 Union soldiers who died in that war and even the meaning of the war itself might be forgotten. He asked that day a question, he said, "What should we remember them for?" He asked that question not once but twice. "What should we remember them for?" And then he answered his own question. He replied, not once but twice, "They died for their country. They died for their country." In truth, they fought to win the tyranny of slavery and to build a nation that embodied hope of freedom and self-government throughout the world. Douglass devoted the remainder of his time to ensuring that these men did not die in vain. Gradually, Decoration Day assumed a lasting place in the calendar of national celebrations in America. In 1890, all of the United States had officially adopted it and in the aftermath of World War I, it came to encompass the dead of all American wars.
(08:41)
In 1967, Congress changed the name of this holiday to Memorial Day, 1967. It moved its day from May 30th to the last Monday in the month of May. And Memorial Day came to be celebrated by many as the start of summer and came to be celebrated as a holiday to spend at the beach rather than to reflect on history or decorate the graves or honor the dead. If Douglass were alive today, he would probably be shocked, maybe appalled by the dissension and rancor that characterizes so much of the public discourse that takes place in our nation's capital and across America. Most likely he would stop and remind us to lower our voices and listen instead to the voices of those who laid down their lives so that we might have a better life. The sacrifice of those who have served us in uniform literally did save our nation. They literally did save our union. And by our presence here today and in countless other gatherings across America, we make clear that we still understand and embrace that truth.
(09:58)
And now for a few words about our 46th president of the United States, Delaware's Joe Biden. And again, many people in the audience, they could stand up here and do this by heart and we know him for so long and so well, so I'm not going to dwell at length about his bio. But I do want to tell you three really quick stories that I think say a lot more about him than any recitation of his bio. First of all, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Joe Biden had been president for a week when he called me on the phone in Washington and said, "Tommy, Tommy, I want you to come over to my office. I want you to come over to my office this week in the Oval Office, and I want you to bring a couple of Democrats, a couple of Republicans from your Committee on Environment and Public Works. And I want us to figure out how we're going to not just talk about an infrastructure bill, an infrastructure program for our country, but actually build one."
(10:56)
And six days later, I was in his office and I had with me Shelley Capito, Republican from West Virginia, several others, Ben Cardin from Maryland and others. And we sat there with the president, and I'll never forget that day. My guess is you won't either, Mr. President. What he said to us that day is, he said, "We got to stop just talking about rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our highways, our bridges, our airports, our railroads, our ports, we got to actually do it." And he said, "I want you to…" looking at us who served on the Environment of Public Works Committee, said, "I want you to report out a committee, a bill by Memorial Day. I want you to report out to the Senate a bill by Memorial Day." And we said, "Yes sir." And we talked for it a little bit longer and then left.
(11:41)
And I remember standing outside of your office and someone said to me, "Who's going to do this?" And I said, "We are. We are." By the end of that summer, we actually took up on the Senate floor and the House floor the biggest infrastructure bill ever in the history of our country. And before Thanksgiving, President Joe Biden put his name on that legislation and we were off and running. But it took his leadership, his insistence that we have not just Democrats in the room, but Republicans as well, not just the House but the Senate. And that's what we did. And it led us to the biggest infrastructure bill ever and helped launch one of the strongest economic recoveries in the history of our country. That's one story I wanted to share with you.
(12:27)
Another story I wanted to share with you deals with Ukraine. Anybody here ever been to Ukraine? I know some have. Some have actually been to Ukraine. President Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, wonderful, wonderful human being was speaking a couple of months ago to a combined session of the Senate. And we all gathered in the old Senate chamber and it's really packed, it's really crowded, and President Zelensky was introduced. And I sat in the audience right where you're sitting, that far away, and he was up here, he was introduced to speak and spoke. I was wearing that day as I am today, a lapel pin that combines the US flag and the Ukrainian flag. And I noticed in the course of his remarks, his eyes kept coming back to my lapel pin, my flag pin. When he finished speaking, huge audience, Democrats, Republicans on the House and Senate and a great, great, great applause. I thought it would never end.
(13:37)
And when the event finished, he didn't just leave, he literally walked over to where I was standing and I stood up and I said, "Mr. President, you are a hero." To President Zelensky, I said, "You are a hero." He took his hand, I'll never forget it, he put it right on this lapel pin that has the Ukrainian flag and the American flag. He put it right there and he said, "No," he said, "You are our heroes." And he said, "And President Biden is the biggest hero of them all. In the Ukraine, we love him, we love him, we love him."
(14:19)
One last quick story and I'll pass the baton. Martha and I have a couple boys and the youngest one is Ben. Ben grew up in public schools here in Delaware and went off, turned out pretty well. And Ben, couldn't get in, he was waitlisted at the University of Delaware. That's a joke. But he ended up getting into William & Mary and we were driving down to William & Mary to help him move into his dorm as a freshman at William & Mary. And as we're driving down with the car that day with Ben and Martha and myself, I don't think Christopher was with us that day, but we're driving down and the phone rang. And it was a time when Barack Obama was the nominee, was going to be the nominee of the Democrats for president and he was trying to figure out who to make his running mate. And there was a lot of speculation that it might be Evan Bayh, it might be this person, it might be Joe Biden.
(15:20)
And it was a Saturday, we were literally expected to hear that day who of Barack was going to choose as his running mate. And the phone rang and on the phone was Joe Biden. And I said to him, I said, "Are you going to be the vice president?" He said, "No, I'm not calling about that." I said, "Well, what are you calling about?" He said, "I called to talk to Ben." "Really?" Ben who was just graduating from high school and just starting college and moving into his dorm for the first time. He said, "I'm calling to talk to Ben. I said, "Ben Carper?" And he said, "Yes, put him on the phone."
(16:02)
So I put him on the phone and as it turned out, Joe Biden wasn't calling to say that he had made the list, he was going to be the vice presidential candidate or he wasn't or we'll find out the next day. He was calling to talk to Ben Carper as Ben was ready to set off in his next adventure to be a freshman and later on to go off to do amazing things with his life. I thought to myself, "How many sitting senators who are going to someday be vice president and president would call and ask to talk to Ben Carper or any Ben or any other kid who's going to college just to give him advice and wish them well?" And I will never forget that. I will never forget that. And I would just suggest if that were your kid, your son or daughter, you would not forget it either.
(16:52)
Let me maybe do one more thing if I can. Someone gave me Joe… I don't know who gave it to me but gave me some words and said, "Whatever you say, don't forget to say this about Joe Biden." A visionary, a respected leader around the world, a compassionate man who was interested in everyday people. All right. Martha, what did I forget? Nothing? All right, ladies and gentlemen, I think that that's it for me. And with that with me, where's Ronnie? Ronnie? Where's Ronnie? Ronnie, where are you, buddy? All right, is this the time to introduce the 46th president of the United States, Delaware's Joe Biden? Let's hear it for… On your feet, let me hear you. Put it [inaudible 00:17:48]. Thank you. Now come on, you can do better than that. Come on, knock it out of the park.
Joe Biden (18:12):
Thank you very much. The greatest honor of my life has been for four years being the Commander-in-Chief of the United States. The fact is that I don't think if I had come from any other state that would've happened. But in Delaware, everybody knows everybody. And it's important. It's important because we had that expression for the longest time, "We do things the Delaware Way." The Delaware Way. Members of the House and Senate know, Democrat or Republican, they've learned to work together for the benefit of Delaware. Now remember Tommy, we've been coming here for decades. First time I was here I was reminded of that quote from R.G. Ingersoll who said, "When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when they shun compromise with death, that's heroism."
(19:23)
I remember thinking that that day the first time, thinking about my uncles in World War II, thinking about people I knew, thinking about all the people who had laid down their lives. And ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be with so many friends on this solemn occasion. Tommy, Kyle, Lisa, Sarah, Nolan, and you're all outstanding leaders and proud Delawareans. And Chaplain, thank you for your invocation. I want to acknowledge the keynote speaker today, a pathbreaker and a patriot, Chief Warrant Officer Ernestine Epps. Ernestine, thank you. Thank you for being willing to do this. I'm looking forward to hearing you.
(20:10)
Folks, every year we come together to remember, to remember the brave women and men who gave their all for this nation, or as Lincoln called it, "The last full measure of devotion". That's what it was. The last full measure of devotion. They laid down their lives so we could live our lives in peace and maybe the most important word with possibilities. And I know I speak for everyone here and when I say we remember them every single day, not just this day, but every day that people assemble under this tent, remember them every day. We come together to remember the families that are left behind, the hearts that still carry the weight of their absence, the ache that never fully goes away. We come together to remember the debt we owe to the American military. Military is a solid spine, the spine of our nation, our troops, our veterans, our military families and our gold star families, in particular.
(21:30)
Only around 1% of all Americans defend 99% of us, 1%. Just 1% of Americans risk the ultimate sacrifice. We owe them so much more than we can ever repay them. We have many obligations as a nation, but only one truly sacred obligation. Sacred obligation. That's to equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't come home. It's a sacred obligation. I know for many of you Memorial Day, like for us, is deeply personal. For the Bidens, this day is the 10th anniversary of the loss of my son Beau, who spent a year in Iraq. And to be honest, it's a hard day. His son and I, Hunter, who's here in the crowd. I don't know where you're sitting, Hunter, all the way in the back there.
(22:43)
His daddy came to this event with me, he's about the same age when he started. He just graduated from high school, heading off to college. And being with all of you, that, quite frankly, makes things a little bit easier. It really does. So thank you for allowing me to grieve with you. Some of you knew my son, Beau. He served in the Delaware National Guard, including a year in Iraq. Remember I got a phone call, I was in Washington, he's, "Dad, what are you doing Friday?" I said, "What do you need, honey?" He said, "I want you to pin my bars on." I said, "Pin your bars on? You have two kids, you're not…" "Dad, somebody's got to do this, Dad." Proudest day of his life was putting that uniform on. That's not a joke, that's not hyperbole. That's real.
(23:35)
And it's one of the proudest things I ever did pinning his bars on him. And it means so much to our family that the headquarters of the Delaware National Guard have been renamed after Beau. His legacy lives on his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren, like those you lost will be remembered and remember who he was. And just like the legacy of all our fallen heroes lives on, they live on in us and they live on in the strength and freedom of our nation. That sounds like hyperbole, but it's real. It's literal. So everyone who came here today to grieve with grief in your heart, please know you're not alone. You'll never be alone. And your loved one will never be forgotten. Period.
(24:34)
My friends, Memorial Day is about something profound. Our politics have become so divided and so bitter. All the years I've been doing this I never thought we'd get to this point. But we are. Our troops don't wear a uniform that says, "I'm a Democrat," or, "I'm a Republican." It says, "I'm an American. I'm an American. That's who I am." I'm serious about this. I'm not joking. And folks, our politics has become, as I said, so divided. They wear the uniform of the United States of America, the only nation in the world, literally the only nation in the world founded on an idea. An idea. Every nation was founded on geography, ethnicity, some unifying principle, but not an idea. The idea of America was founded, "Now we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal, endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of [inaudible 00:25:40]." We mean it. That's who we are. That's what makes America the most unique nation in the world. Literally, not figuratively.
(25:48)
In fact, folks, for generation after generation, a profound idea has been defended by ordinary citizens who stepped up and answered the call. Because of them, American democracy has endured for nearly 250 years. Every generation, every generation, every generation has to fight to maintain that democracy, every time, every generation. Because of them, our government is still of the people, by the people and for the people. They, they are we, and we are still free. And now we must make sure that sacrifice has never been in vain. Let me close with this. The women and men we honor today who are no longer with us, but you can still hear their echoes. Literally, can't you? If you've lost anybody, you can hear their echoes, the echoes of their voices. They're asking, "What will we do?" We who are alive, we who remain. They're not asking us to risk our lives. They're asking us to stay true to what America stands for. They're not asking us to do their jobs. They're asking us to do our job, to protect our nation in our time, now, to defend democracy, be part of something bigger than ourselves.
(27:24)
So today, let's renew our pledge to honor our heroes. I mean this sincerely. Renew our pledge to honor our heroes. Think of what they did, think what they'd be doing if they were standing here today with us. Not only with our words, with our deeds, to care for their families, to support our veterans with more, not less. I get really angry when I hear about, "Veterans are seeking too much." They're not enough. That's why I wrote the legislation relating to Gold Star families and the rest. It's an obligation we have. It's a matter of honor, honor, ladies and gentlemen, to make sure our democracy always lives up to their bravery. To their bravery.
(28:17)
And I want to thank you very much. And I want to recognize the guy who's brand new to all this. He's a little over 100 years old. But I tell you what, man, every time I come, I love seeing him because he always pats me on the face and gives me a kiss. Sir, thank you for all you've done. Your generation and every generation since then. And folks, I want to say this from the bottom of my heart, thank you particularly to the Gold Star families. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The country owes you. Thank you.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
President Biden, President Biden. President Biden, my family loves you. President Biden, my family loves you. [inaudible 00:29:04] thought you were the best.
