When a suicide drone attack struck Tower 22 in Jordan on January 28th, it took the lives of SGT William Jerome Rivers, SPC Breonna Moffett, and SPC Kennedy Sanders. Additionally, it also wounded roughly 40 others who were largely asleep. Striking a sleeping trailer, the structure was essentially destroyed, with neighboring buildings taking a good bit of damage too. Waiting until January 30th to make contact with the families, Present Biden met with SPC Sanders’ parents, Shawn and Oneida Oliver-Sanders, and tried connecting with them.
After learning their daughter would be posthumously promoted to Sergeant, Oneida broke down in tears at the good news of her promotion. Telling Biden how much it means to them, Joe turned the conversation away from their grief and relief at this bit of positive news. “Oh, well, I tell you what, it means a lot to me. My son spent a year in Iraq; that’s how I lost him.”
This is standard behavior for Biden during these times.
In all actuality, his son Beau didn’t die in Iraq. He got to come back home with a Bronze Star (like any officer) and resumed life as Delaware’s Attorney General. To talk to the men and women under his command, he was there to do his job and tried not to talk about who Daddy was. Just three years later, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed two years after that at age 46.
While Beau’s cancer was quite likely connected to the burn pits and other horrific conditions our troops are subjected to, Joe won’t talk about that. He won’t step up for the veterans who have left service or even equip those wearing the uniform to avoid getting sick now. Instead, he uses their death and Beau’s as a way of trying to connect. To proclaim he knows the sting of a parent losing their child for their country, despite being there to say goodbye to his.
Joe doesn’t know about the pain that loss brings. Not one Godd*mned bit.
