President Joe Biden and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden virtually speak to members of the Military Service with their new dog commander to thank them for their service and wish them a Merry Christmas from the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 25 .2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden celebrated his first Christmas in office by calling military service members around the world with vacation wishes and gratitude for their service and sacrifices to the nation.
Along with his wife, Jill, and their new puppy, Commander, the President spoke on video Saturday with military personnel representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard operating at bases in Qatar, Romania. are stationed. Bahrain and the USA
“As your Commander-in-Chief, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, thank you, thank you,” he told the soldiers. “We are grateful for your courage, your sacrifice, not only for your sacrifice, but also for the sacrifice of your family.”
Speaking at a White House studio, Biden said they were “the solid backbone of the nation” and emphasized a “truly sacred obligation” to look after soldiers and their families.
Jill Biden expressed sympathy for their families’ difficulties in spending the vacation without loved ones, noting that the Bidens experienced the same thing when their son Beau, who served as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard, was sent to Iraq would.
US Vice President Joe Biden speaks to his son US Army Captain Beau Biden (L) at Camp Victory on July 4, 2009 near Baghdad, Iraq. Biddens first visit to Iraq as Vice President comes days after US forces withdraw from Iraqi cities.
Khalid Mohammed | Getty Images
The Bidens planned a relatively quiet Christmas party at the White House with the family.
While the coronavirus pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, flares up again, the Bidens tried with their public appearances and statements to convey a feeling of unity and normalcy in an otherwise challenging season for many.
In a Christmas declaration, the Bidens praised the “tremendous courage, character, resilience and determination” of the American people in the face of the pandemic and prayed that the nation would find “light in the dark” during a difficult season.
“During this joyful season, we take inspiration from the myriad of Americans who remind us that the things that are sacred to us unite us and transcend distance, time and even the constraints of a pandemic,” the Bidens said in their statement.
And the call to the soldiers was just the latest Christmas tradition the two partook in after spending Christmas Eve spreading the Christmas cheer in Washington.
They visited Children’s National Hospital on Friday morning to deliver holiday greetings to young patients and their families. The president showed photos of her new pup, and Jill read a children’s book to the patients.
The two later stopped by a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The President hung the 2021 White House Christmas decorations between branches adorned with photos of his wife’s face, apples and small plaques as a tribute to her teaching career.
Both answered calls to the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa Tracking Service and spoke to parents and children about their Christmas wish lists.
