[hail to the chief] ♪♪

>> good evening, ladies and gentlemen, you can take your seats, please. it is an honor to be with you here today to celebrate this thanksgiving and it is a bigger honor to have the president and the first lady here at fort bragg to recognize the strength and resiliency of our military families. the military community is a strong one. it's one where we face challenges, we grow and you grow bigger than you ever thought you could. here on fort bragg, we have the unique mission that binds us together. the immediate response. our soldiers have to be ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. the first time, i was pregnant

with cameron, my husband's unit was called to be activated. there was a lot of uncertainty that happened with that, but it was true the community of the military that we came together. we came together with sharing information with each other. we came together by helping each other with watch each other's children. we came together emotionally and we became a very close-knit family. and it was in those moments that you build resiliency. and through these experiences, military children are gifted with an invaluable life lesson, they see the value of selfless service up close. they live it and those who serve with them and our nation as they grow to be adults. first lady jill biden, a blue star mom understands these

lessons and these values. for most of her adult life, she has spent her time supporting military families, first in delaware and now her entire country. her joining forces initiative supports military spouses in their employment, food insecurities and education. she understands that it's not just the servicemember who signs up to serve our nation, but it is also the families. ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce the first lady, dr. jill biden. [applause] dr. biden: ok. hi, i'm jill biden. so the bidens are a military family and i would like to thank the dixon family and i would also like to thank sheriff

irvine for this wonderful meal. he told joe that joe liked his chocolate muse so much that he was going to make it for everybody tonight, so that's the special treat. i am a military mom. our son bo was a major in the delaware army national guard and i know what it feels like for all of your families here because you won't be home for the holidays. and i know what it's like to see that empty seat at the table and just feel like, you know, just how hard it is for the families. so i want to thank all of you. that's why we came to have dinner with you to say thank you to you, we're so grateful for everything that you do and joe and i feel like, you know, your family to us and we cannot thank you enough.

so i had to come out from behind there because, first of all, i'm a teacher, it just feels weird to be behind a barrier and i just want to come out -- well, thank you, must be a couple teachers here. and i just wanted to say thanks, so i brought somebody with me, i brought my husband, so i would like to introduce the president of the united states, my husband, joe. joe. [cheers and applause] pres. biden: i'm jill biden's husband, joe biden. as you see, i continue to follow her. i just want you to know when we first were elected vice president, there was a moment where on her favorite day of the year is valentine's day, doc, and on valentine's day, there is the old executive office building directly across from

the white house and the west wing and the vice president's office. you can look in the windows there, the press comes down those stairs all the time. so she went and got a ladder and my school teacher wife, my professor got a ladder and the windows are 16 feet high with all of these panes. in every pane, she got the stuff that kids use to make posters in school, she put on a heart and it said, joe loves jill. she did it on all five, four windows across. so the press called and said would i do valentine's day on abc. i said ok, and i got on and we're getting ready to do the event and what happened was they had the lights out and we were knee to knee with the reporter who is asking the questions and she says, everybody says you and

your wife have a great love affair going. i said i think so. and she looked at me, i jokingly said, but everybody knows that i love her more than she loves me and i swear to god, she looked at me and said, that's what everybody says. so, you know, they also serve only standard weight, folks, i want to thank not only you warriors, i want to thank your family because they stand and wait. i know how hard it is to have someone who is not at the table on a holiday that are in harm's way to find themselves out of the country and because that's every time our son was in iraq for a year and before that in kosovo. and you do so much and your families give so much. i really mean it from the bottom of my heart and you're the finest, you're the finest military that the world has ever

seen. that's not hyperbole. you literally, you are the finest the world has ever seen. i'm so damn proud to be associated with you. it's hard for me to even say it, but the thing that is amazing to me is how proud i am to be your commander in chief. you are the most incredible group of women and men, warriors that we've ever seen. we came because we wanted to thank you, tell you how much we care and hear the engine of air force one so you couldn't hear anything. that was the main reason we did that. but all kidding aside, thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do. you're the very best. you really are. you are the very, very best. we owe you big. thank you. [applause] pres. biden: where am i supposed to go, see how she points, back there. you can tell she is a professor, can't you, i'm heading back,

jill, i promise, i'm coming, i'm coming. oh, i got to introduce the chaplain, the chaplain is going to say a prayer before. >> pray with me. gracious god we come with you this evening for your grace and kindness, we are grateful for our heritage and the privilege to defend our ideals, lord, we are mindful of our brothers and sisters who are deployed and i ask that you will provide for providing peace and relentless courage when they and their families need it the most and now we ask your blessing on our time and the food and the spirit of the scripture that reminded us everything created by god is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. these things i ask in your most holy name, amen.

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