What follow is a short travelogue told third person because I wasn't there:

On Memorial Day, the American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM) are invited to DC for
ceremonies both at the White House and in Arlington, where Mike is buried.
Dads are useless as tits on a bull during these things, so I stay home and
let Cindy fly to DC for the events.

On Sunday, the moms went to the White House for breakfast.  Because the
president was in Illinois, Vice President Biden attended and sat at the head
table with the president of the AGSM and other dignitaries.  Cindy was
sitting at her table when three men approached and asked if they could join
her for breakfast.  One was the Chief of Staff of the Army, the second was
Commandant of the Coast Guard and the third was the Secretary of the Air
Force.

After breakfast, the vice president went around the room to visit with the
moms.  When he got to Cindy, he told her about his wife who died of cancer
and his son who was killed in a car accident.  He began to cry as he told
her of these things, which made her cry, so Joe Biden hugged Cindy and told
her he was sorry.  She said she left mascara on the suit lapel of the Vice
President of the United States.

Another mom told Biden that her still living son would be jealous because
she had the chance to meet him.  He said, "Do you have your cell phone?
Call him."  Biden stood there and talked to her son on the phone and invited
him to come by the veep's office for coffee when he is in town.

The White House photographer will send us pictures soon and I will share
them.

BTW:  One lady at the event was a Gold Star sister, wife and mother.

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