President Joe Biden wrapped a busy first full week in the White House with a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, where he met with wounded service members and toured the facility's COVID-19 vaccination center.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden visited wounded service members at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday 

  • Biden was a patient at the Bethesda hospital after suffering brain aneurysms in 1988; his son, Beau Biden, passed away from brain cancer at Walter Reed in 2015

  • The president invoked his late son’s name several times throughout his visit, repeatedly thanking healthcare workers for all they have done both for his family 

  • First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on Friday also focused her attention on promoting awareness of issues affecting military families, participating in a virtual event with military-connected students

Biden’s early visit there marks one of his first departures from the gated White House campus. Throughout the transition and even during the campaign, Biden has pared back his travel and in-person meetings, doing as much work as possible virtually to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

In the 10 days since he was inaugurated president, Biden’s only other ventures beyond the White House complex included a visit to the Lincoln Memorial for a celebration on Inauguration Day evening and a visit to church last Sunday.

Biden has both a lengthy and personal connection to the hospital — the president’s son, Beau Biden, passed away at Walter Reed in 2015 from brain cancer. He had served in the Delaware Army National Guard. Even before his son’s death, Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, were frequent visitors to the medical center when Biden served as vice president under Obama.

The president himself was also once a patient at the Bethesda hospital, having suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms in 1988. 

"I've been at Walter Reed a lot. I spent almost six months there myself as a patient,” Biden said before departing from the White House. "And in addition to that, as Vice President, every single Christmas, we spent all of Christmas Day at Walter Reed. These kids are amazing. And thank God, there's not as many people to visit."

The president invoked his late son’s name several times throughout his visit, repeatedly thanking healthcare workers for all they have done both for his family, and all other wounded service members. 

"You've done a great deal for my family. My son, Beau, after a year in Iraq, came back with stage four glioblastoma. You took care of him in his final days with great grace and dignity,” Biden said, adding: “At the old Walter Reed, I spent six months with a couple cranial aneurysms and a major embolism — great fun. The docs are alright but the nurses are better — male and female."

Biden visited with a number of wounded servicemembers and toured the COVID-19 vaccine center at the hospital alongside Col. Andrew Barr, Director of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he chatted with service members in the process of receiving their own coronavirus vaccine shot. 

"We're going to make sure everybody has enough," Biden said of the COVID vaccine. "We're going to get the supply up, nationwide."

The first lady on Friday also focused her attention on promoting awareness of issues affecting military families, participating in a virtual event with military-connected students.

Dr. Biden met with high school members of the Military Children Education Coalition’s (MCEC) Student 2 Student peer mentoring program on Friday via Zoom, offering support to children of service members who might be struggling amid the pandemic. 

The Student 2 Student high school program offers military children a safe place as they frequently move schools, and intends to “create a positive environment, support academic excellence, and ease transitions,” per its website.

The cause is one near and dear to Dr. Biden’s heart, and she told the assembled students she was “so excited to see what we’re going to do together.” 

“The foundation of Joining Forces has always been guided by the experience of military families,” Dr. Biden said, touching on the initiative she created years previously when serving as second lady. “You are our North Star, so welcome to the White House. I wish you could be with me right here, together in person.”

“As a member of MCEC’s Student 2 Student program, you are demonstrating what our military community does best: service and sacrifice for others. Using your own challenges to make it easier for someone else,” she continued, adding: “The president and I are grateful for the generosity and the kindness that you demonstrate every day.”

Soon after the Zoom call ended, Dr. Biden briefly departed the White House alongside her husband, sending the president off to Walter Reed with a kiss in front of the assembled press. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.