Barak Obama on Saturday addressed a full Catholic Mass honoring Beau Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.
Vice-president Joe Biden’s two surviving children – Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden – also spoke to remember their brother, who died of brain cancer last week at the age of 46.
Obama tells family: ‘We are always here for you.
Obama attended the funeral with his wife, Michelle, their daughters, Malia and Sasha, and his mother-in-law, Mary Robinson. The president said the Biden family “rule” was that, before help was even sought, family members would be there for each other. Addressing Beau’s widow, Hallie, and their young children Natalie and Hunter, he promised that the Obamas would now be there for them.
“Beau’s passing has left a gaping hole in the world,” the president said. “Hallie, I can only imagine the burdens you have been forced to bear. As you were there for him, we will be there for you. We have become part of the Biden clan. We are honorary members now and the Biden family rules apply. We are always here for you – my word as a Biden.”
Obama praised Beau Biden for his service as attorney general of Delaware and as an officer in the national guard and with the US army in Iraq.“We are here to grieve with you but more importantly we are here because we love you,” he told the congregation at the packed Roman Catholic church, St Anthony of Padua, where Biden’s coffin had earlier been carried in draped in the stars and stripes as his family walked slowly behind it.
General Ray Odierno, the former top US commander in Iraq, also spoke.
“I was able to witness first-hand Beau’s character,” Odierno said. “He understood the importance of maintaining trust with his fellow soldiers and with everyone he came into contact with, and he did it just by smiling and listening.“He cared deeply for his fellow human beings and always treated everyone with respect. He had a natural charisma that few people possess. People naturally wanted to follow him and he was selfless to a fault.”
Odierno said Biden would tell him over and over again “I’m just another soldier”, but the general said he thought the brave soldier might one day lead his country.
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