Biden defends the defense legacy against the US military
In ‘Special Report’, Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith outlines the conflicting opinions about President Biden’s legacy as the president bids farewell to American service members.
President Biden thanked soldiers for their “strength” and “integrity” Thursday during his farewell speech in Virginia.
“There has never been a time in history when we have asked our military to do so many different things in so many places, all at the same time,” the president said at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia. “And I want to be clear: You carried out all of these missions with vigor and, perhaps even more importantly, with integrity.”
Biden’s address to the troops came the morning after his farewell address to the nation in which he said it was his “great honor” to serve as the 46th president.
It also comes four days earlier President-elect Trump follows him.
President Biden thanked service members for their “strength” and “integrity” during his farewell address at the Department of Defense on Thursday. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“You all represent what America is: character, honesty, integrity, commitment,” Biden told the troops. “You are simply the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.”
The president said troops “rose to the occasion” as he called for an end to the war in Afghanistan, “by evacuating Americans, allies and our Afghan partners, achieving the largest airlift in military history and end a war. The same courage has been defined by American service in Afghanistan for more than twenty years.”
He said he believes “history will reflect that this was the right thing to do, but I know, I know, it was hard after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including (during de) withdrawal. The pain was still real. And that applied to me too. I still wear it every day, every day.”
Biden has been criticized for his handling of the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan, in which 13 American soldiers were killed.
He added that six months after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, “when Russia launched its biggest war in Europe since World War II, I asked you to help defend Ukraine.” You didn’t hesitate. You kept Ukraine in the fight, trained Ukrainian soldiers. and pilots, troops, reinforced NATO’s eastern flank. And above all, you showed the world that America stands up for freedom and stands with our friends.”
BIDEN THANKS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR THE GREAT HONOR TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT DURING FAREWELL SPEECH
Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, during a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, Thursday, January 16, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He also praised the A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamaswhich was announced on Wednesday and first mentioned in his farewell address to the nation.
“The road to that deal was not easy,” he admitted, saying he “set out the elements of that deal eight months ago.”
President-elect Trump has also taken credit for the ceasefire.
“This epic ceasefire agreement could only have come as a result of our historic victory in November, because it signaled to the entire world that my administration would seek peace and make deals to ensure the safety of all Americans and our allies,” Trump wrote. on Truth Social Wednesday. “I am pleased that American and Israeli hostages will return home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the farewell celebration for Biden’s commander in chief on Thursday. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In his speech, Biden also thanked military families who “sacrifice so much.”
“Most Americans never see the sacrifices you make every day,” he continued. “Never see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty chair at the dinner table because Mom or Dad was deployed. Never see all the moves you had to make to new states, to new schools, to new jobs.”
At the end of his speech, he added, “You are truly the best fighting force in the history of the world,” adding that the U.S. military has the best training, weapons, ships and aircraft.
“But that alone doesn’t make us strong,” he said. “They are our values. American values. Our commitment to honor, to integrity, to unity, to protection and defense. Not a person or a party or a place, but an idea.”
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Before Biden’s speech, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked Biden for his service in their own remarks, which were part of the commander in chief’s farewell tribute to the president.
