Fact Check: Did Joe Biden’s son Beau die in Iraq? Viral claim debunked

US President Joe Biden recently delivered a speech at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan on Thursday, May 18, 2023. During his speech, he talked about his late son Beau and said that his son passed away in the Iraq war. Notably, his son died at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland in 2015.

In his statement, while delivering the speech, Joe Biden said,

"My son was a major in the US Army. We lost him in Iraq."

As soon as President Joe Biden made the false claim about his son's death in Iraq, several right-wing people started reacting to it. Several people also questioned if President Joe Biden is mentally stable.

Moreover, the official press office of the White House has not put out any official transcript of his speech.

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Joe Biden's son Beau died after suffering brain cancer in 2015, here's what you need to know

Beau Biden passed away at the age of 46. and the claim about his passing away in Iraq made by his father Joe Biden is false. Beau died in 2015 due to cancer. However, Joe has a long-held belief that his son died and had toxic burn pits which led to his death.

Joe Biden has been criticised a number of times for making the claim that Beau died in Iraq. Before making this remark in Japan, in October 2022, Biden made a similar remark when he was designating Camp Hale in Coladro as a national monument.

At that time, he talked about the bravery of the division as they fought in Italy. And, soon after that, he included that his son died in Iraq during his speech.

US President Biden said,

"Just imagine, I mean it sincerely, I say this as a father of a man who won the Bronze Star, the conspicuous service medal, and lost his life in Iraq. Imagine the courage, the daring, and the genuine sacrifice they all made."

Even last year, he was criticised for making this statement. It is also worth taking note that Biden's son served in Iraq for a year between 2008 and 2009 and at that time, Beau Biden was a member of the Delaware Army National Guard.

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President Biden has made several gaffes in the recent past, know here

During the recently held G7 leaders conference, President Biden called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Loon. Other than this, he also addressed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as President.

Notably, Biden has also made some claims which were not backed up by facts. In December 2022, President Biden said that his uncle Frank Biden won the Purple Heart for his actions during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. However, there is no evidence that can prove that his uncle won the purple hat.

Other than this, he also claimed that during the civil rights protests, he was arrested. However, there is no evidence to back this claim.