FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Jill Biden wants servicemembers and their families to know that their concerns are known and understood.
"Being a military mom, I know how hard it is when your loved ones are deployed. I know that feeling. I know that anxiety," she said.
She and husband, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., joined Fort Belvoir Installation Commander Col. John Strycula; his wife, Wendy; and more than 200 people - military spouses, servicemembers and Army leaders - at Belvoir's community center Thursday to watch a special, invitation-only, advanced screening of an episode of the television show, "Army Wives."
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr., and his wife, Sheila, hosted the screening.
In the episode titled "Mud, Sweat and Tears," which airs Sunday, Biden visits Fort Marshall, the series' fictional Army post, where she hosts a fun run and meets with spouses on the post.
"Although only 1 percent of Americans are fighting our wars today, we need 100 percent of Americans to support them and their families," she says in her cameo appearance.
Biden said she took the role to help the American public understand the difficulties faced by military families. Both she and her husband make reference to the fact that a very small percentage of the U.S. population is engaged with the ongoing contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"In the last 18 months, I've done things that I've never dreamed I would do or could do," Mrs. Biden said. "But, when I got the opportunity to actually create awareness of the lives of military members and their families, it was something I just couldn't pass up."
"It's our sacred obligation to take care of our military and their families and Michelle (Obama) and the president and I are 100 percent behind that," she said.
The featured episode also included cameos by Tanya Biank, author of the book on which the series is based; and three Army wives. Biank and her father attended the screening.
Gen. Casey thanked the families and said the screening was tribute to their service.
"We couldn't have done what we've done as a country over the last nine years at war without the support of the families," Casey said.
Vice President Biden quoted poet John Milton, "'[They] also serve who only stand and wait,'" he said. "The truth of the matter is, no audience in the world understands that better than the audience here tonight."
Stars of the show, Brian McNamara and Kim Delaney, who portray Maj. Gen. Michael Holden and his wife, Claudia Joy Holden, attended the screening. Also on hand for the event were members of Belvoir's Warrior in Transition Unit; Army experts in the fields of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; and representatives from Belvoir's Hearts Apart, Army Family Team Building, Survivor Outreach Services and Exceptional Family Member programs.
After the viewing, the Bidens, the Caseys and the two cast members spent nearly two hours meeting the servicemembers and spouses gathered at the event.
Both the Bidens and the Caseys are Blue Star Families, or families with at least one family member who has deployed or is currently deployed in support of combat operations.
The Bidens' oldest son, Beau, is a captain and military lawyer in the Delaware National Guard. He recently returned from Iraq after a yearlong deployment with the 261st Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. The Caseys' son, Ryan, is a Reservist serving in Iraq.
"She and I know firsthand of the triumphs and challenges of Soldiers and their family members," Sheila Casey said of the bond she and Biden shared.
Karen Walters said she felt the purpose of the event was authentic.
"I thought the [the Bidens] were very well-spoken and very genuine. I felt the whole night was very genuine. It meant something to the wives," she said.
Walters' husband is assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company - Special Activities of Fort Belvoir's Headquarters Battalion.
She said the significance of the evening, for her, was the care shown by Mrs. Biden.
"Her compassion for military families. I felt was it was a breath of fresh air for someone in the public eye to be so appreciative of military spouses," Walters said.
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