Biden delivers final Veterans Day speech as president: "Greatest honor of my life"

Driving the news: "This is the last time I will stand here at Arlington as commander in chief for the greatest honor of my life to lead you, to serve you, care for you and to defend you, just as you defended us, generation after generation after generation," Biden said.

• He recounted his years of visits to historic sites pivotal to the nation's military history, highlighting his stop in Hanoi, Vietnam, to honor his friend, the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

State of play: The president touched on a variety of actions and investments the administration has taken to support veterans and their families, garnering applause when he mentioned the PACT Act, a bipartisan bill that expanded health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

• Biden also pointed to the decision to pull U.S. military troops from Afghanistan, pulling from his jacket a card he has mentioned in the past that he says lists the number of US troops who have died and been wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.
• The chaotic and deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, which the State Department blamed on poor planning among senior officials during the Trump and Biden administrations, has been a sore spot in Biden's record.

Zoom in: The president also reflected on his late son's deployment to Iraq, recalling, "I still remember the day he asked me to pin his bars on him."

• President Biden continued, "Like so many of you, we also remember how hard it was when he was deployed: empty seats at the dinner table, missed holidays and birthdays, prayers of hope or worry repeated every morning and every night."

Go deeper: In photos: Biden marks 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy