President Joe Biden and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, along with their new Dog Commander, chat virtually with military service members to thank them for their service and wish them a Merry Christmas. happy birthday, from the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on December 25, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | beautiful pictures
President Joe Biden marked his first Christmas in office by calling members of the military stationed around the world, sending holiday wishes and gratitude for their service and hope. their birth for the country.
Joining his wife, Jill, and their new puppy, Commander, the president on Saturday spoke by video with service members representing the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Air Force. Army, Space Force and Coast Guard, stationed at bases in Qatar, Romania, Bahrain and the United States
“As your commander in chief, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you,” he told the serving members. “We are grateful for your courage, your sacrifice, not only your sacrifice but the sacrifice of your family.”
Speaking from a studio set up at the White House, Biden told them they were the “solid steel spine of the nation,” while stressing the “truly sacred duty” the nation had to care for. soldiers and their families.
Jill Biden expressed sympathy for the hardships their families had to go through while spending the holidays away from their loved ones, noting that the Bidens went through the same thing when their son Beau, who was Major in the Army National Guard of Delaware, deployed to Iraq.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks with his son U.S. Army Captain Beau Biden (L) at Camp Victory on July 4, 2009 near Baghdad, Iraq. Bidden’s first visit to Iraq as Vice President comes days after American forces withdrew from Iraqi cities.
Khalid Mohammed | beautiful pictures
The Bidens planned a relatively quiet Christmas at the White House with their families.
As the coronavirus pandemic flares up again, fueled by a highly infectious omicron variant, the Bidens have sought to appear and make public statements to bring back a sense of unity and normalcy for a season. challenging solution for many people.
In a Christmas statement, the Bidens praised the “great courage, character, resilience and determination” of the American people in the face of the pandemic, and offered a prayer that the country would find “light in the dark” in a difficult season.
The Bidens said in their statement: “In this season of joy, we are inspired by countless Americans who are reminders that the sacred things we hold will unite us and transcend us. the distance, duration, and even constraints of the pandemic,” the Bidens said in their statement.
And the call to soldiers is just the latest Christmas tradition the two have joined, after spending Christmas Eve spreading holiday cheer across Washington.
On Friday morning, they visited the National Children’s Hospital to send holiday greetings to the young pediatric patients and their families. The President showed off photos of their new puppy and Jill reading a children’s book to the patients.
Afterwards, the two dropped into a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The President hung the 2021 White House Christmas decorations among the branches decorated with photos of his wife’s face, apples and small chalkboards, in homage to her teaching career. .
The two answered calls to the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa tracking service, talking to parents and children about their Christmas wish lists.
