VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden told graduates at a Virginia Beach high school on Thursday not to believe it when they hear that the United States’ future is not as bright as its past, echoing a key election-year theme that the country is on the right track to success.
It was Biden’s second speech to area high school students in the past three months, an indication of how critical Virginia is to President Barack Obama’s re-election efforts. High-level administration officials regularly make appearances in the state and the airwaves have been flooded with political advertisements for months.
Biden told the 463 Tallwood High School graduates and about 4,600 others in attendance at the Virginia Beach Convention Center to ignore the cynicism that they may hear. He said the world is on the cusp of major technological innovations and that they would be the ones who are leading the changes.
“Don’t give into the cynicism, the pettiness, the negativity that you see and hear all around you that pervades our public discourse. Believe in yourselves because you have reason to, and believe because there’s no reason not to believe in the continued promise of this great country,” Biden said.
Tallwood is home to a global studies and world languages academy. Some of its students have participated in exchanges abroad and Biden said that kind of understanding of the world is important as rapid changes in technology bring global events closer to home.
“One of the things you all learned here is that in order for this nation to lead the world and for you to be leaders in this world you have to understand the world, you have to participate in the world,” Biden said.
Biden said few people can understand how small the world is more than members of the military who are regularly deployed abroad, and he spoke at length about the sacrifices military families make.
Suburban Virginia Beach is home to a large military community, which includes the Navy’s master jet base on the East Coast as well as the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. Several hundred people stood up when Biden asked all those who had served in the military to be recognized.
“We owe you big,” Biden said.
Biden said another 37 graduating students would join the military after graduation.
“I want you all to know that your nation stands with you and will stand with you every step of the way in your career,” Biden said.
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Online: Brock Vergakis can be reached at www.twitter.com/BrockVergakis
