He hugged the grandmother,
and mom and dad,
tears in his eyes
that he couldn’t let them see.
Looked over his shoulder
to remember their faces
set in time.
This time in his life
he would only understand
was extraordinary,
looking back.
****
****
Honor and bravery
and, yes, to be a man
were why he signed up early,
why he went off
why he missed a bit of his youth
and journeyed to a far-off
war-time destination
he had never
heard much about
when he was younger.
****
****
The in-between years
are not forgot
They enter in dreams
and memories he sometimes wished
he didn’t have.
He knows he’s not alone
in the recollections
yet only a small amount of comfort
has come from that,
has ever come from that.
It is what it is,
his mantra.
It is what it is.
****
****
But now in the prime
of his older years
he wears a ballcap with the
name of his service on it
and the name of his war.
He remembers the conflict
and when he
remembers the grandmother
remembers mom and dad
he feels the honor
he thinks he brought them.
****
****
The sting of yesterday’s tears
in his crinkly eyes come from
the love of country
the esprit de corps ~
the brothers and comrades
he left behind or
still meets for coffee
on a Wednesday morning
in his hometown.
****
****
And when he and his brothers
talk over coffee
about the “free lunch” for veterans
they’re serving at the
VFW, in a few hours,
he turns to them
(those who, like he,
paid ahead such a high price
for that “free lunch” years ago)
and says,
“We should support that
for the new vets
who might really need it.”
Dr. Jill Biden comforts Vice President Joe Biden during a viewing for their son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden at Legislative Hall in Dover, Delaware. Standing with Dr. Biden are Beau Biden’s widow, Hallie, and granddaughter Natalie
An honor guard carries the casket containing the remains of former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden
Vice President Joe Biden comforts Beau Biden’s wife, Hallie Biden
Vice President Joe Biden comforts his granddaughter Natalie
Vice President Joe Biden lays his hand on his son’s casket
And when I shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
****
****
Statement from Vice President Joe Biden
It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life. The entire Biden family is saddened beyond words. We know that Beau’s spirit will live on in all of us—especially through his brave wife, Hallie, and two remarkable children, Natalie and Hunter.
Beau’s life was defined by service to others. As a young lawyer, he worked to establish the rule of law in war-torn Kosovo. A major in the Delaware National Guard, he was an Iraq War veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star. As Delaware’s Attorney General, he fought for the powerless and made it his mission to protect children from abuse.
More than his professional accomplishments, Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son and brother. His absolute honor made him a role model for our family. Beau embodied my father’s saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did.
In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.
If tears could build a stairway
and thoughts a memory lane
VP Joe would walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again
You were gone before they knew it
And only God knows why.
You were the best of all of them
And the twinkle in your families eye
With heart’s still active in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know.
And now they know you’d want them
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has so much in store.
Since you’ll never be forgotten
Your family pledges today
A hallowed place within their hearts
Is where you’ll always stay.
Author Unknown
****
If you would like to leave some words of condolences for the Biden family, the White House has graciously provided a way to do so here
****
by Meta
I went back and found some notes I wrote to a friend when I saw Beau Biden and Kamala Harris give a talk on gun reform in July 2013. I want to share them with you because the overwhelming feeling I got from him was that he was such a great human being:
###
The first thing that comes to your mind when you see Beau Biden is how much he looks like his father. I mean, really, really looks like his father, and with some of the same mannerisms. Then you listen to him speak and what comes across is just how smart, compassionate and dedicated he is when he talks about his work and his family. He talked about his Dad a lot.
He and Kamala are long-time friends and they spoke about the challenge of working on common sense gun reform. Beau talked about his experience with this issue in particular as AG for Delaware. He spoke for about 20 minutes or so and then took questions for at least another hour. He was very, very generous with his time and did his best to address questions that were very challenging. Kamala Harris is also gorgeous and crazy smart. She projects strength and courage in so many, many ways, I’m just thrilled that she is my AG. SO, these are two very distinguished rising stars in our party and we should be very proud of them. I want to encourage all of us to keep track and support them both in any way we can.
After the event I walked up to him just to thank him. I waited patiently as he was mobbed with people wanting to give him their card and introduce themselves and have a photo taken. Then Christine Pelosi walked up next to me and when Beau was free, I told her to go ahead and get in there and meet him. He was very glad to meet her and they talked for a few minutes about the work she’s doing now and some of the stuff that’s happening now with PBO and VPB on gun reform. They both talked about how much they loved PBO’s remarks on Trayvon in the WH briefing room and Beau said he thought PBO should do more of that because he’s so good at it. Then when the moment came, he turned toward me and I shook his hand and thanked him for his service and just said I want to wish him the best in this very tough fight. He was soooooo sweet and thanked me. I told him I love his father very much and he seemed very touched by that. He looked at me and said, you know, my father is really, in real life, really a very nice man, a very good man. I said, I know! That is why I love him! And your mother, too. He said, yes, my mother, too. I thanked all three of them for their service to our nation. He seemed very sincerely touched by that. He said he’s going to need a lot of help when the legislature looks at his gun reform bill again in Delaware in January and I said if I can help, I will. He smiled and thanked me and said, please stay in touch with me. Please join my Facebook page. I smiled and said, OK.
Honestly, Beau is just a very warm, honest man and one of the most sincere guys you’ll ever meet. Just a wonderful man. And again, OMG, just very, very handsome in person, incredibly fit. Anyway, I so wish you could have been there with me. It was very, very special. My admiration for them both for taking on this incredibly important issue is truly boundless.
###
I’m know that VP Joe must be inconsolable. I cannot imagine losing a son, losing such a bright star. I hope in the days to come he will find a measure of comfort from the outpouring of love and respect the world over. He and Jill are so beloved.
****
The world remembers a beautiful soul
****
Robert Burns
An honest man here lies at rest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d,
Few heads with knowledge so inform’d;
If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
****
Beau Biden made every life he touched better. Please hold his family in your hearts.
— Jay Carney (@JayCarney) May 31, 2025
It breaks my heart knowing Beau Biden has passed.
I can honestly say, from experience, that Beau was a nice, kind man.
God bless
— HillarMeme Clinton (@bxanden) May 31, 2025
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This reads like glossy, phony political legend, but it is actually true. And I've learned so in private from others: http://t.co/0X5gvuxHys
— Jeff B@AoSHQDD (@EsotericCD) May 31, 2025
Incidentally, excerpt here is from @JohnAvlon's article in @thedailybeast: thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/…
— Jeff B@AoSHQDD (@EsotericCD) May 31, 2025
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Beau Biden was a throughly admirable man. Great husband, father, son, veteran and public servant. My heart aches for the Biden family.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) May 31, 2025
It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that we share the news of the loss of a great leader, Maj. Beau Biden. fb.me/3OVjkJbzs
— Del National Guard (@DelawareNG) May 31, 2025
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So crushed to hear of the loss of Beau Biden. What a great man. Iraq vet, AG, father and son. Example of American hero.
— Jim Messina (@Messina2012) May 31, 2025
When you think of what Joe Biden's endured and what he's like, he seems to get something right about life that most of us don't.
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) May 31, 2025
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An immeasurably devoted father has lost an intensely devoted son. Our nation has lost one of its brightest stars & most honorable men.
— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) May 31, 2025
President Obama on Beau Biden's Death: He "Believed the Best of Us All" thr.cm/BxbCD1 http://t.co/T7ITdYklAR
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 31, 2025
****
Robert Louis Stevenson
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me;
“Here he lies where he longed to be,
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
****
Biden family: "Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.” nyti.ms/1PVIzNq http://t.co/0jhODDocB8
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 31, 2025
Those who knew Beau Biden did not know a finer person. Our hearts w/his parents, family
— Antony Blinken (@ABlinken) May 31, 2025
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****
Stephen O’Brien
I will wait for you…
Though we never had a chance to say goodbye,
Remember me…
When winter snows are falling through a quiet sky
I’ll remember you
When, in our darkest hour,
You held my hand and prayed I wouldn’t go,
But a silent voice called out to me;
My time had come, and I had to travel Home…
Since then, I know your life has never been the same,
For I visit you each day:
So many times I’ve felt your pain:
I’ve watched you cry:
And I’ve heard you call my name…
But now, further along life’s road I stand
In a timeless world, just beyond your sight,
Waiting for the day when I can take your hand and bring you across
to this land of Golden Light…
Till then, remember me, you understand-and try not to cry.
But if you do:
Let your tears fall
For the happiness and joy we knew,
And for the special love we shared,
For love can never die.
****
Beau Biden was 46 years old, a husband, and the father of two children buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii… http://t.co/fvmPdeT9uq
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 31, 2025
Tributes pour in for passing of Beau Biden: abcn.ws/1RAh35s
— ABC News (@ABC) May 31, 2025
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****
Joe Biden's 2012 advice to grieving families is all the more poignant today vox.com/e/8457366?utm_… http://t.co/EI2vHD5QRy
— Vox (@voxdotcom) May 31, 2025
Joe Biden: "The real reason I went home every night was that I needed my children more than they needed me." whitehouse.gov/the-press-offi…
— jennifer bendery (@jbendery) May 31, 2025
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President Obama: "Beau Biden believed the best of us all." trib.al/xHZTPnL http://t.co/zbJ1U3YlGX
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) May 31, 2025
Beau spent his entire career in the service of his country & his state. He was an outstanding Attorney General, lawyer, soldier, and father.
— Gov. Jack Markell (@GovernorMarkell) May 31, 2025
****
Author Unknown
Don’t cry for me now I have died, for I’m still here I’m by your side,
My body’s gone but my soul’s is here, please don’t shed another tear,
I am still here I’m all around, only my body lies in the ground.
I am the snowflake that kisses your nose,
I am the frost, that nips your toes.
I am the sun ,bringing you light,
I am the star, shining so bright.
I am the rain, refreshing the earth,
I am the laughter, I am the mirth.
I am the bird, up in the sky,
I am the cloud, that’s drifting by.
I am the thoughts, inside your head,
While I’m still there, I can’t be dead.
****
Heartbroken at Beau Biden's passing. Every time I saw him he was gracious, kind, & true. In short: He was a Biden. http://t.co/K3U44yQrn0
— chris dilts (@chrisdilts) May 31, 2025
Few more eloquent in grief than @VP over the years. As he'd say: http://t.co/0QPlh8LqHh
President Barack Obama welcomes Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi before their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House
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President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The two leaders spoke on a range of issues, including Ukraine, Libya and Islamic State militants
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"Our exports support more than 11 million good American jobs." —President Obama on #TPA: http://t.co/e7FCKcgYTn
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 16, 2025
"My top priority in any trade negotiation is expanding opportunity for hardworking Americans." —Obama #LeadOnTrade http://t.co/e7FCKcgYTn
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 17, 2025
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President Obama bids farewell to PM Renzi of Italy outside the West Wing lobby. http://t.co/ixkrKOmlMr
— (@petesouza) April 18, 2025
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President Barack Obama greets poet laureate Elizabeth Alexander during an event in the State Dining Room at the White House. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the event in celebration of National Poetry Month
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****
First Lady Michelle Obama attends an event in celebration of National Poetry Month
Poet laureate Elizabeth Alexander gives a poetry reading in the State Dining Room of the White House
****
"Every vet...should know that there are places like this that feel like home." —The First Lady on #Vet Centers: http://t.co/rwSacyUmb3
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) April 17, 2025
Dr. Biden & @FLOTUS tour a Vet Center—great resource for vets, service members & mil families: vetcenter.va.gov http://t.co/yHZqxRGhYC
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) April 17, 2025
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"A good poem can make hard times a little easier to survive & make good times a lot sweeter." youtu.be/0wb-RNn-kKY http://t.co/tpuSBwD3Mp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 18, 2025
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Worth a read: The First Lady & @DrBiden visited a vet center to talk with #MilFam on working to #ChangeMentalHealth: go.wh.gov/dKzUCK
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) April 18, 2025
Tune in May 4 to @NBCNightShift to see FLOTUS and @DrBiden in a PSA on working to #ChangeMentalHealth for #vets! http://t.co/QZwb5TDuZh
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) April 17, 2025
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"We opened up this Vet Center so that veterans could come and share their stories." —Wayne Miller #ChangeMentalHealth http://t.co/JwmtlOICR5
We celebrate his singular life each time we
think of his good works
and the hope and change he brought.
We commemorate his birth in January.
We visit his memorial on the mall
Year-round.
We tell his remarkable story
to the little children of today.
We’d rather leave the marking of the date
he was assassinated in Memphis
to the history books.
But all of it is what we were given
and what he was given.
And, this year, as we recall it was
forty-seven years ago on April 4
that his “four little children”
lost him …
Let us not forget about them
as we rejoice that he belonged to the world
for as long as he did
as we examine the “content of his character”
around the globe, as long as we all still do.
In our minds, we will remember him
and that our voices must keep
challenging the injustices
as we keep yearning for equality for all.
That night,
Robert Kennedy suggested
we dedicate ourselves
to what the Greeks had written
many years before:
“To tame the savageness of man and
make gentle the life of this world.”
A man named Barack Obama,
also in our hearts,
who later
became our President,
surely has dedicated himself to
“taming the savageness of man”
throughout the world
and to a “more perfect union”
here at home.
This year, no matter our religious beliefs
or non-beliefs,
it seems quite fitting somehow,
if only for the history books,
that the date we recall sits between
Good Friday and Passover and Easter
while prayers from other faiths are also
being said,
around the clock,
all over the globe,
in the interests of the human race.
Dr. King, always in our hearts.
Hope and change, always on the horizon,
to “make gentle the life of this world.”
****
****
****
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today marks the 47th anniversary of his death. http://t.co/LZmQMF6ydw
— deray mckesson (@deray) April 04, 2025
Today marks the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May he rest in peace 👑 http://t.co/zOsKGtyR2p
— Black Girls (@BlackGirlsWinni) April 04, 2025
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Part of Dr Martin Luther King Jr's last speech, night before 4-4-68: "I've Been To The Mountaintop": youtu.be/Oehry1JC9Rk via @YouTube
— (@JOBoomr) April 04, 2025
Today, we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His example pushes us to keep fighting for justice. http://t.co/fo7XnyvJtX
President Barack Obama smiles as he walks down the steps of the Capitol with Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny after attending a “Friends of Ireland” luncheon
President Barack Obama holds a book of poetry given to him by Ireland’s Prime Minister Enda Kenny during their meeting in the Oval Office
Vice President Joe Biden listens during a meeting between President Barack Obama and Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, on St. Patrick’s Day in the Oval Office
Racism is alive at The University of Oklahoma. @President_Boren http://t.co/eAvnPD8jxA
— Unheard (@OU_Unheard) March 08, 2025
Above all, "you can hang them from a tree" is particularly vile. This should constitute a threat against students of color. #SAEHatesMe
— Charles Clymer (@cmclymer) March 09, 2025
****
They were chanting about hanging Black students from trees. They were chanting about lynching Black students. This is 2015 and they were proud to sing about lynching Black people. They will cheer when their Black student athletes are busting their guts to win trophy after trophy for the school. But off the field? They’ll joyfully hang them from trees. People ask why racism hasn’t died? Here is your answer. Their great-great-grandparents, their great grandparents, their parents, all passed it down to them and they are simply carrying on tradition. Some people refuse to acknowledge that institutional racism exists. Here is institutional racism for you. These people are going to be the cops, lawyers, judges, bankers, university officials, teachers, realtors, city council members, etc., who make sure they harass Black residents like it was seen in Ferguson, who make sure they profit from the school to prison pipeline that destroys Black lives.
Who make sure that they provide bad loans to Black families as was revealed post 2007/2008 financial crisis. Who make sure that when showing Black families new homes, they show them way less than they show white families; even though their credit is stellar. This is not just about the University of Oklahoma. This just happened to be recorded and went viral this time. These are the racists who will interact with our Black children in all walks of life. This is the rot that is festering under the foundation of this country. It’s not just one isolated incident. We’ve made progress no doubt, and we will continue to make more. But for Black people, this is scary. This is hate. If they hadn’t been caught, what further dangerous steps would they have taken? This is how hate can lead to destruction. All because you don’t like the color of someone’s skin.
****
Thank you again, Mr. Yardarm for this. Relevant yesterday, today, and tomorrow
****
These racists are going to school for careers that may decide the fate of others, particularly African Americans. Scary isn't it.#SAEHatesMe
— Bougie Black Girl (@BougieBlackGurl) March 09, 2025
Remember these #SAE mbrs will be your bosses, coworkers, lawyers, judges, jurors, police, politicians, teachers & are now voters #SAEHatesMe
— Bougie Black Girl (@BougieBlackGurl) March 09, 2025
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Those men u see smiling in old lynching party photos...have descendants too. #SAEHatesMe #SAE
— Rachel Stewart (@RStewartJewelry) March 09, 2025
Ppl lie to themselves and say "Youth aren't hung up on race like we were." Blackface parties and "hanging nigger" chants from 90s babies
— Stereo Williams (@stereowilliams) March 09, 2025
White House.gov
Robert Louis Stevenson
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me;
“Here he lies where he longed to be,
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
****