President Biden is set to attend a solemn ceremony today at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The purpose of his visit is to honor three American service members who tragically lost their lives in a drone strike conducted in Jordan. The president will be present for the dignified transfer of the remains of Sergeant Kennedy Sanders, Sergeant Breonna Moffitt, and Sergeant William Jerome Rivers.
Before the dignified transfer, President Biden will meet privately with the grieving families to express his condolences. This gesture showcases the president's commitment to providing support and comfort to the families during their time of loss.
Sergeant Kennedy Sanders, as well as two Army specialists, Kennedy Moffitt and William Rivers, were posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant. President Biden personally shared this information with the family of Kennedy Sanders during a phone call on Tuesday. In fact, the president spoke with each of the families of the fallen soldiers and sought their input on whether they wanted his presence at the dignified transfer. All the families expressed their desire for him to be there.
This will be the second time President Biden attends a dignified transfer in his role as commander in chief. The first occasion was in 2021 when he was present at Dover Air Force Base to receive the remains of 13 servicemen and women who lost their lives in a terrorist attack outside the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. This solemn event stirred raw emotions and frustration among some of the families, given the circumstances surrounding the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Today's ceremony will allow President Biden to spend personal time with the families, providing an opportunity to listen to their stories and address any concerns they may have. Drawing from his own experiences with grief, including the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter in a car accident as well as the loss of his son to brain cancer, the president is familiar with the pain these families are enduring. He has often leaned into this role of comforter-in-chief and will undoubtedly offer his support and empathy to those in mourning.
The entire event is expected to last a little over an hour. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are en route to Dover, Delaware, at this moment. As the president prepares to attend the dignified transfer, the nation joins him in mourning the loss of these brave servicemen and women, and we honor their dedication and sacrifice.
