BORN on 20 November 1942. President Joe Biden was in his teens when the Vietnam War broke out in the 1950s.
Many US politicians have had experience serving in the army, and people have called into question whether the 46th president has served.
President Biden was not in military and did not serve in war.
He received five student draft deferments due to medical exceptions during his time as an undergraduate at the University of Delaware, and at Syracuse University, where he studied Law.
During a physical assessment in April 1968 he was classified as I-Y, which meant he could only be drafted in the case of a national emergency.
During the Obama administration where Biden served as Vice President, a spokesperson said Biden didn’t serve as he was “disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager.”
Although it’s common for US presidents to have military experience, former president Donald Trump also did not serve in the military.
Although Joe Biden was not in the military, his late son Beau Biden was.
Beau joined the military in 2003. He rose up the ranks to become an army major in the JAG corps – the part of the army made up of officers who are also lawyers.
He was deployed to Iraq for a year between 2008-2009 and won a Bronze Star Medal for his service.
Beau was the eldest of Joe Biden and his first wife Neilia Biden’s three children. After his military stint, he served as Delaware’s Attorney General from 2007-2015.
He nearly followed his father’s footsteps in 2010 when he considered running for the US Senate, but was sidelined by a mild stroke.
Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46 on May 30, 2015.
Beau’s brother Hunter Biden also served in the military. He was part of the US Naval Reserve but was discharged after testing positive for cocaine in 2014.
After President Biden tripped up the stairs to Air Force One, the White House says it will be releasing a “comprehensive” report on the president’s health, but has yet to say when it will be made public.
“Absolutely,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “I don’t have a timeline but absolutely we will do that, and I’ll check and see when he is due to go back to the doctor.”
The White House has been on the defensive regarding Biden’s health after he was seen on video tripping on the stairs up to Air Force One.
Biden was filmed falling three times on the steps of Air Force One before flying to Georgia.
Many have called into question his health as the 78-year-old often makes verbal gaffes.
During his first solo press conference last, a confused-looking Biden completely forgot what he was talking about and mumbled incoherently at the camera before walking away from the podium mid-question.
Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson said Biden’s gaffes should be of a concern to Americans.
