Distinguished guests, the President of the United States, and Dr. Jill Biden, accompanied by the Secretary of Defense, and Mrs. Charlene Austin and Chaplin John Meyer.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
And the President also.
President Joe Biden (00:25):
You understood?
Dr. Jill Biden (00:25):
Yes.
Chaplin Meyer (00:42):
And let us pray.
(00:45)
Almighty God, as we celebrate the birth of our nation, may we never take the freedoms we enjoy today for granted. We are mindful of the countless men and women in uniform who have given their lives so that we can live as a free people. Help us to live always in your light so that the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness enshrined in our Declaration of Independence may inspire us to work toward creating a more perfect union each and every day of our lives. Bless the men and women in our military and their family members who regularly make sacrifices in order to serve our country. And for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, grant them a place in your kingdom where they may know peace and joy in your presence for all eternity. You make this prayer in your holy name. Amen.
(02:11)
Now it is my honor to introduce the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden.
Dr. Jill Biden (02:25):
Thank you, Chaplin Bark Meyer. And thank you to the USO for helping make this event so special and for being such a great partner to my White House Joining Forces Initiative that supports military and veteran families, caregivers and survivors. Secretary Austin Charlene, my fellow military families, welcome to the White House.
(02:47)
All across the country, the bases around the world, people are gathering with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our nation. But even as we laugh with our neighbors and enjoy the parades and cookouts and fireworks, we can never lose sight of the freedoms that this day represents or the families who make that freedom possible. Families like all of you, you are the brave and the bold and the nearly 1% of Americans who have made the choice to keep us all safe. You miss births and birthdays, graduation and weddings because you choose to put our country’s security above your own.
(03:43)
And the spouses and children who serve as well, saying goodbye to friends and jobs, losing sleep when your service members away, putting your chin up and your shoulders back no matter what this country asks of you. We are so grateful for all that you do and our thoughts are with those serving overseas. As a military mom and as your first lady, I am honored and proud to share today with you, and I’m proud to be part of this military family. God bless our troops and their families, and have a happy 4th of July.
(04:30)
And now your Commander In Chief, my husband, President Joe Biden.
President Joe Biden (04:35):
Well, happy fourth.
(04:35)
Today, we celebrate our independence, celebrate our liberty and our freedom. And Jill and I are honored to spend the day with so many military families. You represent the link in the chain of honor that stretches back to our founding days. You are the [inaudible 00:05:09], the backbone, the reality of why we’re who we are. Unbreaking, unbending throughout our history remind us that democracy is never, never, never, guaranteed. Every generation must fight to maintain it, must always cherish it, defend it and strengthen it. Now as we remember the extraordinary country this is, I hope we all rededicate ourselves to the essential work of our democracy, which is to unify this nation, to see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans.
(05:51)
Let us remember that. While the other nation were formed based on things like geography, ethnicity, religion, America’s the only nation in history founded on an idea, an idea, and that is that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, all people, [inaudible 00:06:14] by their creator with certain inalienable rights… Among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We haven’t always lived up to those words, but we’ve never walked away from them. And today, and all days, we have to say clearly we never will. We never will.
(06:36)
Folks, this year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the all volunteer force, 50 years, 75th anniversary of desegregating military, the 75th anniversary of women’s official integration into the military full-blown. I’ve had a great honor [inaudible 00:07:14]. Haven’t I? [inaudible 00:07:14]. A lot. Anyway, this is a great guy, by the way.
(07:14)
This is a great guy. We have incredible, incredible integrity. Though we made enormous progress as a nation, and that’s due to the people of this nation, the people of this nation, not the politicians, the people. We just have to keep going. We just have to keep the faith and we just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there’s nothing, nothing beyond our capacity if we work together. Ladies and gentlemen, we come out of every single solitary crisis stronger than we went in for 247 years. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact. We’re the only nation that has. So folks, happy 4th of July. God bless you, and may God protect our troops. Thank you.