Statement by the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden on the Passing of John Glenn

Any minute spent with John Glenn was a blessing. Because for all his heroism that history will remember—in war, in space, in public life—you felt something deeper. You felt his capacity to love—the country he inspired, the people of Ohio he served. And most especially, love for his Annie, a hero in her own right, and together, they forged a true partnership that bore the weight of fame and responsibility with the humility and sense of duty that defined them as the greatest of America’s greatest generation. 

Jill and I are blessed for the twenty-five years we shared with John and Annie in the United States Senate, and for the forty years we have shared as dear friends. In our prayers to Annie, their children John David and Lyn, and the entire Glenn family, we can only offer the solace that future generations of Americans, when tested and challenged, will find a model for how to explore, serve, and love. For if there is ever a message to send beyond our time here on our Earth for what it means to be an American, it is the life of John Glenn. Godspeed, friend.