An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 17, 2009

Biden praises Guard members during Whiteman AFB visit

By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. servicemembers' combat missions over the years -- in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq -- have earned them the support and thanks of a grateful nation, Vice President Joe Biden told troops at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., today.

Today's generation of American warriors, Biden said, are "the most powerful, best disciplined, best-trained warriors America has ever, ever produced. And for that I thank you and we owe you -- and that is not an exaggeration."

So, the U.S. government is working hard to "improve the quality of life on bases all across America," Biden said, noting that $17.8 million is being invested at Whiteman to modernize the base and improve the quality of life for its servicemembers.

Additionally, Biden said, recent legislation includes more than $7 billion for military construction projects, including hospitals, child care centers, and upgraded housing.

The government also has expanded GI Bill benefits to make college more affordable for servicemembers and military veterans, Biden said.

"All in all, this administration is wholly devoted to serving the brave women and men in uniform," the vice president said. "As you sacrifice to serve our country, we should do a little sacrifice serving you."

And funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Biden said, has been boosted by $25 billion.

"That's never happened before," he said. "It's the biggest (VA) budget increase in a generation."

Thousands of wounded warriors "will need the most modern medical health care for the rest of their lives," Biden pointed out. "The cost of that will be in the tens of billions of dollars. But it's a sacred, a sacred commitment."

Increased health care coverage, he said, will provide 5.5 million veterans with timely and high-quality health care.

"We're providing services to veterans with the efficiency and quality they deserve, and keeping that deep debt that we owe that you should and have a right to demand," Biden told servicemembers.

"We owe you a particular obligation today," he said, "because there's tens of thousands of men and women who have already fought and continue to fight bravely for our country in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Biden also saluted National Guard members who deploy overseas and the families -- reserve and active component -- who support them at home.

"It's become a day job for tens of thousands of Guardsmen, in addition to all your families," he said.

Biden also praised the families of servicemembers who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the families of wounded warriors.

"I say to the families, thank you, thank you, and we owe you -- we owe you as deeply as we owe your kin, your blood," Biden said.

Servicemembers' "unyielding commitment" to the defense of their nation, Biden said, is part of what "makes each and every one of you so special."

Biden's son, Joseph "Beau" Biden III, an Army National Guard captain, is serving in Iraq.

"So from the bottom of my heart, on behalf of every one of those young men and women on the ground, like my son in Iraq, I say to all of you, I admire you, the president admires you, and we are putting our money where our mouth is in terms of seeing to it that you have everything you need as you deploy, when you deploy, and when you come home," he said.

 

 

Related Articles
Staff Sgt. Austin Duck, a team lead in the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight, leads his team during a training exercise at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind., July 26, 2025. Duck was recently awarded the 2024 EOD Master Blaster award in the non-commissioned officer Category. (U.S. Air national Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Angelee Barnett)
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialists from Kentucky Air Guard Recognized for Excellence
By Airman 1st Class Angelee Barnett, | Aug. 18, 2025
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, Flight have been recognized for excellence by the National Guard Bureau.Staff Sgt. Austin Duck was named EOD...

Maryland Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 1 Samantha Carrera, a cyber warfare technician for Cyber Protection Team 169 and a white cell local network defender, reviews how Louisiana Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Scott Heard from Cyber Protection Team 178, plans to clear a malicious cyber activity from the simulated coalition network during Cyber Velocity at the Virginia National Guard’s State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, August 13, 2025. The 20 soldiers with Cyber Protection Team 169 led the certification exercise to strengthen the U.S. Army’s overall cyber readiness by assessing Georgia Army National Guard’s CPT 170 and Louisiana Army National Guard’s CPT 178, which includes Army Guard soldiers from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Maryland Army Guard Cyber Soldiers Lead Certification Exercise
By Maj. Benjamin Hughes, | Aug. 18, 2025
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Maryland Army National Guard’s Cyber Protection Team 169 led a certification exercise for other Army Guard cyber protection teams at the Virginia National Guard’s State Military Reservation, Aug...

Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion return to their home state of Georgia at Robins Air Force Base on August 16, 2025, following a nine-month deployment to Poland in support of U.S. Army Europe operations. During the deployment, the 110th CSSB provided sustainment command and control to U.S. formations across the region, supporting multinational operations and training events that strengthened interoperability with U.S. and allied forces.
Georgia Army Guard Soldiers Return from Central Europe Deployment
By Staff Sgt. Robert Whitlow, | Aug. 18, 2025
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – More than 55 Soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, or CSSB, returned home Aug. 16 after a nine-month deployment to Poland in support of U.S. Army Europe...