An Open Letter - Military families for Biden

To Our Fellow Americans:

As military family members – the spouses, children, parents, and siblings of those who serve or have served – this nation asks a great deal of us. 

Active duty families move nearly every two years. Our military children adapt to new communities, new educators, new friends — time after time. Military spouses must often put their careers on hold, and without that second income some of us struggle to put food on the table. We’ve persevered through regular deployments — enduring the relentless worry when your loved one is in harm’s way. There is a reason just one percent of Americans sign up for this life.

Yet, through all of this, we are proud and willing to serve. We believe public service is patriotic. We believe America’s people – and the very idea of America – deserve protection. We are humbled to stand alongside our loved one as they take an oath to protect our Nation.

Threats to those ideals shake us to our core. We believe the current Administration threatens those ideals every day. When the White House threatens to use the military to “dominate” the streets, it pits our service members against their peaceful fellow citizens and the First Amendment. When our foreign policy abandons allies we have fought side-by-side with for years – as happened with the Kurds in Syria – Donald Trump makes a mockery of the loyalty that we prize. 

His actions have also convinced us that he does not value the lives of those who serve – people whom we call “husband,” “wife,” “daughter,” “son,” “sister,” “brother,” “mom,” or “dad.” He gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a pass for putting bounties on the heads of our troops in Afghanistan. He picked a fight with Gold Star parents. He mocked the sacrifices of POWs, saying he liked the service members “that weren’t captured.” 

Joe and Jill Biden are a military family. They are intimately familiar with the fear, anxiety, and pride that come with sending a loved one into harm’s way.

Joe and Jill Biden are a military family. They are intimately familiar with the fear, anxiety, and pride that come with sending a loved one into harm’s way. But they are more than a military family. They have been staunch advocates for service members, veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. They have taken time to meet with military families, to better understand the challenges we face.  

Throughout his career, Joe Biden has worked tirelessly to support service members, veterans, and their families, working to ensure that Vietnam era veterans exposed to Agent Orange received the benefits they had earned, and proposing legislation that prohibited cuts to military medical programs during war time. Jill Biden helped to launch Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative that called upon all Americans to support service members, veterans, and their families through wellness, education, and employment opportunities. She spearheaded Operation Educate the Educators to ensure that teachers knew how to support the unique needs of military children in their classrooms, and worked with public, non-profit, and private sector partners to increase economic opportunities for military spouses.  For Joe and Jill Biden, supporting our families isn’t just a policy issue, it’s a personal priority. 

Joe Biden is a man of integrity with a lifelong record of public service and leadership.  He is respected around the world as a statesman and a good and honest man. He will be a steady, smart, and engaged Commander-in-Chief.

We believe America must elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States, and we will vote for him. We hope those who care about America’s military families will join us. 

Signed,

Advisory council

Members of Military Families for Biden