Joe Biden, Jill Biden.Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del., Monday, May 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

PresidentJoe Bidenand First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenparticipated in two solemn observances on Monday: one, to remember their sonBeau Bidenon the anniversary of his May 30, 2015 death, and another in honor of Memorial Day.

On Monday morning, the couple visited the gravesite for Beau, a former National Guardsman and two-term Delaware attorney general whodied seven years ago,at age 46 of brain cancer.

According to a pool report, the Bidens attended a service at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington, Delaware early Monday.

Beau’s death is one of the tragedies that have shaped the trajectory of the president-elect’s political career.

The deaths of Biden’s wifeNeilia and 13-month-old daughter Naomi, in a 1972 car crash that injured his sons as well, are also foundational to his story as a lawmaker, and occurred after he had been elected the youngest-ever senator but before he was sworn in.

When Biden took his oath for the Senate on Jan. 5, 1973, he did so in front of a then 3-year-old Beau’s hospital bed, as Beau recovered from his injuries.

Later on Monday, the Bidens paid a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony and the president delivered remarks.

Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock (12963736x) President Joe Biden arrives with Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to lay a wreath at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, in Arlington, Va Biden Memorial Day, Arlington, United States - 30 May 2022

After laying a wreath red and white roses (wrapped in red, white and blue ribbons) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, President Biden made the sign of the cross, according to pool reports.

Both the President Biden and Dr. Biden have made the military a focus during their time in office.

For the Biden family, it’s an issue that’s deeply personal, as Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2008.

Joe Biden.Sipa USA

US President Joe Biden (C) participates in a wreath-laying ceremony as part of a Memorial Day observance, as US Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (2-L) look on, at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, USA, 30 May 2022.

Later on Monday, the Bidens are scheduled to join surviving families of service members who have passed away in a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, where they will plant a magnolia tree “in honor of those who have lost their lives and the families who carry on their legacies,” the White House said.

source: people.com