Jill Biden visits military families living on base in Naples

First lady Jill Biden visited children living on a U.S. military base in Naples, Italy, on Monday, and spoke to them about the challenges military families face.

She went to the Naples Middle/High School, a Department of Defense Education Activity school on the base of Naval Support Activity Naples. 

“Not everyone knows what it’s like to be in your shoes. You face unique challenges — and your stories don’t always get told,” she told the students. “I’ve worked on supporting military families for 10 years now. And on bases and at schools like this one, at the White House and in communities across the United States, I’ve heard your stories.” 

The school, which was established in 1951 shortly after World War II, has an enrollment of about 540 students in grades 7 to 12.

“The Bidens are a military family,” Biden said, noting that her father served as a Navy Signalman in World War II before she was born and her late son, Beau Biden, served in Iraq.

She spoke about how Beau Biden’s daughter, Natalie, dealt with him being deployed for a year. 

“Like many of your families, we all did our best to make up for his absence with video calls to her dad and extra big birthday celebrations. Her teacher even put up a photograph of Beau’s unit, so she could see him when she was at school. It meant so much that her whole class knew he was courageously serving his country,” she said. 

“But we couldn’t fill the empty chair at dinner time. No one could but her daddy,” she added.

During a Q&A after her remarks, a student told Biden, “I almost cried during your speech.” The first lady gave her a hug. 

Another student told Biden she was born in Naples but has been plagued with friends moving all the time, and another student said Italians make fun of her for being American but that the school is tolerant.

One student talked to Biden about being bullied for being gay and being thrown in a trashcan at his last school. 

“They called me the F-word, I won’t say it,” he said.

“Thank you,” Biden replied.

“It’s pretty offensive,” he said.

He added that his experience at Naples Middle/High School was, in contrast, “a warmth.”

“Can I just say to the parents in closing — you’ve heard your kids’ stories, you see how strong and resilient they are. This truly is a family at this school. I want to thank you so much for asking me to be your guest,” Biden said.

The first lady toured a robotics classroom and a culinary arts classroom at the school. Her visit to Naples came as President Biden left Italy to attend the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.