For Jill Biden, meeting Navy families in Conn. a ‘special’ moment
GROTON — Brooklyn Fineran is used to having her dad away from home, out to sea for long stretches of time, sometimes missing important events like holidays and birthdays. The special guest she introduced Thursday night also understands that hardship.
Fineran, a student at East Lyme Middle School, introduced first lady Jill Biden, the daughter of a Navy veteran and mother of an Army National Guard soldier, during a visit to Groton as part of her duties as the sponsor of the attack submarine USS Delaware.
“Being a military kid can be hard sometimes, especially when I miss my dad and being away from family in Arkansas and North Carolina,” said Fineran, whose father, Dan, is assigned to the Delaware.
The holiday gathering at the U.S. Submarine Veterans Club was Biden’s first real opportunity to interact with the families of the crew in person. As sponsor, she will maintain a relationship with the crews and families assigned to the Delaware throughout the life of the ship.
“This is so special to me to be here tonight as part of the USS Delaware family,” Biden said, addressing the crowd of 80 or so mostly women and young children.
Growing up, Biden said her father would frequently take the family to see the Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron for the U.S. Navy. She used to love wearing her dad’s sailor’s hat as a young girl and still has his military ribbons.
Her late son, Beau Biden, served in the Delaware Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq.
“I saw that empty chair at the table whether it was Thanksgiving or Christmas or birthdays,” she said, describing a feeling the families in the room knew all too well.
When her dad is home, Fineran said they spend “as much time together as possible.”
“We watch movies, go out to eat, play outside, and have as much fun as possible,” she said.
After Biden’s brief remarks, she walked around the room to greet the families, who were seated at tables lined with poinsettias, and topped with green, red and silver Hershey kisses and crayons in redstriped Dixie cups in a room with three decorated Christmas trees.
Biden shook their hands, posed for pictures and even signed copies of her two children’s books in a visit that lasted about 40 minutes. She was joined by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Gov. Ned Lamont, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick.
Victoria Miles, whose husband Derek Johnson is a nuclear engineer on the Delaware, was excited for the opportunity for her and her 9-year-old son to meet the first lady.
“I’ve explained Dr. Biden’s work in cancer research specifically, and of course, her dedication to education,” Miles said. “But, you know, for a child, it’s just the president’s wife.”
For Miles, Biden’s dedication to cancer research is personal. Her maternal grandmother is fighting stage four brain cancer and her aunt was recently diagnosed with cervical cancer. She was able to thank the first lady for that work during a brief interaction at the gathering.
“She mentioned that she thinks of it as a non-partisan issue and that she’s happy to help for whoever may need it,” Miles said. “She was just absolutely delightful.”