Alex Wong/Getty Images . Joseph "Beau" Biden III, 46, was hospitalized earlier this month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. US President Joe Biden made an erroneous statement about his late son, Beau Biden, in Washington while declaring the Camp Hale Continental Divide on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. [43] In the spring of that year, he announced his intention to run for governor of Delaware in the 2016 election to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Jack Markell. Joe biden's youngest son, hunter, served a short but highly controversial stint in the u.s. won his 2010 re-election bid in a landslide. He died of brain cancer in 2015, nearly six years after he returned from his military service in the country. In the book, Hickman noted that while working in Kosovo in 1999, Biden was also exposed to the fires. Beau enlisted in the U.S. military in 2003 and moved up the ranks to Army Major in JAG corps. Like his uncle, Robert generally goes by his middle name, which is also his late grandmothers maiden name. 2004), and son Robert Hunter II (b. [26] On August 14, 2013, Biden reported feeling weak and disoriented during a family vacation in Indiana. Beau Biden joined the military in a very early stage of his career. During his emotional speech, Beau reflected on his close relationship with his father, and how the tragic 1972 car crash that killed his mother and sister affected the family. One of my earliest memories was being in that hospital, Dad always at our side. I didnt know that., GettyCHARLOTTE, NC SEPTEMBER 06: Attorney General of Delaware Beau Biden gestures on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 6, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Biden joined the military in 2003 as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard and was a Major in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware. Never before has a Delaware guard unit been deployed that is better qualified, Sen. Biden said. However, his son Beau Biden did serve in the U.S. military. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Beaus father married his second wife, Jill, in June 1977, and his younger sister, Ashley, was born in June 1981. Plenty of those in the Twitterverse have taken Joe and Hunter Biden's side. "My son was in Iraq. Joe Biden's son began his service in May 2013, as a public affairs officer in a reserve unit based in Norfolk, Virginia (via CNN). During an interview on PBS Newshour in 2018, Biden revealed that he learned his son was exposed to toxic fires while serving in Iraq. There's addiction in every family. He did in 46 years what most of us couldn't do in 146." The Bronze Star Medal recognizes a soldier's bravery on the field and is only awarded to those who are directly in conflict with an enemy of the U.S. Just months after leaving the. He served as the Attorney General of Delaware and a major in the Delaware Army National Guard. Biden won the election by approximately five percentage points. While remembering American politician Beau Biden, people wonder, "When Did Beau Biden Serve In Iraq?" He passed away due to brain Cancer after serving his country for around twelve years. However, he died in May 2015 at the age of 46, following a battle with brain cancer. He was re-elected to a second term in 2010, but, four years later, declined another run in favor of a planned 2016 bid for governor. [34][35], Joe Biden resigned from the Senate following his 2008 election to the vice presidency. Instead, Joe Biden was able to avoid military service due to a medical exemption. [67][68], The Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center, named for Biden, is in New Castle, Delaware; it was the site of a speech by Joe Biden the day before his inauguration where he stated "we should be introducing him (Beau) as president". [12] Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009. Theres no way out. In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.. "[23], Biden traveled to Washington, D.C. from Iraq in January 2009 for the presidential inauguration and his father's swearing-in as vice president,[24] then returned to Iraq. Joe Biden spoke at the brigades deployment ceremony, and relayed to the crowd a piece of advice from Beau. President Biden was assigned 1-Y classification which meant he would only get drafted in the event of a national emergency. Two of Joe Biden's kids served in the military. Mr. Biden, who received an age waiver and was sworn in by his dad, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, at the White House, underwent a performance review six months later, according to his Fitness . [5] In June 1977, his father married Jill Jacobs, whom Beau welcomed as a stepmother. But Beau has made it clear from the moment he entered public life that any office he sought he would earn on his own. [I]f he chooses to run for the Senate in the future, he will have to run and win on his own. Bidens military career was mentioned during the Presidential Debate on September 29, 2020. Although we don't know exactly why Beau Biden was awarded with a Bronze Star, we do know that, while in Iraq, he must have shown heroism (such as saving the life of a soldier) or acted in a combat zone even if this wasn't his assigned role. Beau was deployed to iraq in 2008 and returned back to the u.s. Beau was the eldest of Biden and his first wife Neilia Biden's three children. He wouldn't have it any other way. All Rights Reserved. https://t.co/QbLGXgwe2J. During the Vietnam era, the military draft existed yet several exemptions were granted. Just months after leaving the. "#Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/PVOU7exo0Y. He died of glioblastoma in 2015 at the age of 46. This high-profile journey and story had an impact on my own journey with cancer. Joe Biden. ), "It was the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy," Hunter Biden told CNN at the time, "I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge.". Consequently, many felt it was unfair who got drafted (and thus required to serve) and those that elected to remain back home. Beau Biden was a member of the 261 Signal Brigade. "He's overtaken it. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images). [44][45] At the time of this announcement, the cancer that would kill Biden in 2015 had been diagnosed (in 2013), but was in remission. His son Beau, who deployed to Iraq in 2008 as a major with the Delaware National Guard, returned home safely but died in 2015 from a brain cancer that Biden believes was caused from his son's . The Facts. After serving in Iraq, he won his 2010 re-election bid in a landslide, crushing Republican Doug Campbell by 58 percentage points and earning the highest percentage of the vote (78.9 percent) of any candidate for statewide office in Delaware. Two years after his diagnosis, on May 13, 2015, Beau lost the battle with cancer and died aged 46. After a 1968 medical exam, President Biden received the classification of I-Y. He graduated from his fathers high school alma mater, Archmere Academy, a private Catholic School Claymont, Delaware, before also graduating from the former vice presidents other alma maters, the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, and, in 1995 from Syracuse Universitys law school. Hunter Biden joined the military as an officer, after his Father ( Vice-President at the time ) got him a waiver due to his age. On December 18, 1972, Beau's mother and infant sister Naomi were killed in an automobile accident while Christmas shopping. He won a Bronze Star Medal during his service. He joined the Delaware Army National Guard in 2003 and became a member of the National Guards 261st Signal Brigade, according to Delmarva Public Media. As rape is a state crime, the plea deal required the office of the state's attorney general, which at the time was headed by Beau Biden, to . Although he was expected to run to fill his fathers U.S. Senate seat, which was left vacant following his 2008 election as vice president under former President Barack Obama, he decided to remain attorney general. But Biden's son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, deployed to Iraq as an Army lawyer in 2008, and the candidate . After Biden passionately brought up the memory of his son (while also referencing Trump's quote about veterans being "losers" and "suckers," a move Biden made to point out Trump's disregard toward the American military), Trump responded, "Oh really? "[10] Biden Sr. lived a life filled with challenges to overcome. They had two children: daughter Natalie Naomi (b. As Attorney General, Biden supported and enforced stronger registration requirements for sex offenders. He spent a year there. After graduating from law school, he clerked for Judge Steven McAuliffe of the United States District Court of New Hampshire. While in Iraq, Biden didnt resign from his position as Delawares Attorney General while in Iraq. He twice gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention when his dad was being nominated for vice president: Before his deployment in 2008 and after he had returned in 2012. Beau Biden served in the military for 12 years (2003-2015). While at the University of Pennsylvania, Beau was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. Copyright 2023 www.OperationMilitaryKids.org. Donald Trump bringing up Hunter as Joe Biden discussed Beau Biden's service to this country is about as low as it gets. In 2005, he was promoted to captain. Beau Biden, who joined the National Guard in 2003 and served in the 261st Signal Brigade, deployed to Iraq in October 2008, the day after his dad squared off against Sarah Palin in the vice presidential debate. At the time, Beau reasoned that he, instead, wanted to see through his offices work on a case involving Delaware pediatrician Earl Bradley, who had been charged with sexually assaulting several of his patients. 2006). After Kosovos 1998-99 war ended, he also helped train local prosecutors and judges for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a rule-of-law adviser. Beau was once believed to have been a frontrunner for the seat, but, while deployed in Iraq, stated that he would not seek or accept an appointment to the Senate. The former vice president, like Trump, never served in the military. However, just a month later he was given a random drug test, which turned up positive for the presence of cocaine. Beau Biden was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq, and was awarded both the Legion of Merit, and the Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross, posthumously. As a result, his brief military service was cut short, being officially discharged in February of 2014. Beau Biden, the late son of Joe Biden, did serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. GettyAttorney General of Delaware and Son of Vice President Joe Biden Beau Biden waves at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 6, 2012 on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). RIP. U.S. Army Captain Beau Biden gets a visit from his dad, Vice President Joe Biden, at Camp Victory in Iraq on July 4, 2009. How Long Did Beau Biden Serve In The Military? Joe Biden Military Service: Did He Actually Serve? Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 - May 30, 2015) was an American attorney, Army JAG officer, and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. Beau Biden served in Iraq between 2008 and 2009 as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard. [26], Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009 after completing his yearlong stint on active duty which included a 7-month deployment in the combat zone. Eighteen months he lived, knowing he was going to die," Biden said in a 2019 speech. [33], After being elected, he appointed former Delaware Attorney General and International Judge Richard S. Gebelein as Chief Deputy Attorney General, and former assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Andrews was appointed as State Prosecutor. [19] He is a truly awful human being. 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