First lady Jill Biden tours Space Force bases, supports military spouses on Brevard visit

First lady Jill Biden's father served as a U.S. Navy signalman in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Her stepson Beau deployed in Iraq for a year with the Delaware Army National Guard.

And she wants Space Coast military spouses to have sufficient access to employment, child care and assistance with mental health challenges such as substance abuse, depression and anxiety.

“Now, I know that many of you have joined the Space Force from other branches of the military. And I want to thank you for taking this leap forward towards this new challenge. But I also know that it comes with unique hardships," Biden said during a Monday visit to Patrick Space Force Base.

"Well, first of all, there aren’t that many of you who are involved in Space Force. And you’re spread across the country in small numbers. And often, there’s no one to guide you because, you know, no one’s ever done this before,” she said.

Monday afternoon, Biden and Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough toured Brevard County Space Force facilities during a promotional swing touting the White House's Joining Forces initiative, which is aimed at supporting military families.

The duo landed at 12:24 p.m. at Patrick Space Force Base, flying in from the south. Monday morning, Biden delivered the keynote speech during a cancer survivorship summit at Nova Southeastern University in Davie.

A motorcade of about 15 sport-utility vehicles, vans and police vehicles — escorted by a contingent of Brevard County Sheriff's Office motorcycle officers — awaited her arrival at the Space Force base's passenger airline terminal.

Biden's motorcade drew roadside spectators shooting photos and video as it rolled northward through Cocoa Beach to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

That's where she walked between two enormous Atlas V rocket boosters, which were stored horizontally, inside United Launch Alliance’s staging facility at the Advanced Spaceflight Operations Center.

Capt. Jennifer Guion, Atlas/Delta flight commander with Space Launch Delta 45's 5th Space Launch Squadron, spent roughly five minutes explaining her group’s mission with Biden and McDonough.

Then the motorcade drove to the Morrell Operations Center, the hub of range operations during launches — where a conspicuous message posted above the entrance reads "Control of the Battlefield Begins HERE!"

Biden and McDonough received a quick briefing on rocket tracking, safety and stormy summertime launch weather at the Cape. They stood before banks of dozens of black monitors inside Mission Control Room #2. Surrounding screens showed an informative array of maps, pie charts, line graphs, video camera footage and other data.

More: First lady Jill Biden to visit Patrick Space Force Base to meet with military families

Lt. Shelby Andrade, 1st Range Operations Squadron, Space Launch Delta 45, told the first lady 56 launches have lifted off from the Cape this year — a record-breaking pace thus far.

Then the motorcade headed south down State Road A1A to Satellite Beach, where Biden watched fifth graders participate in science-centric exercises at Starbase Academy, a Department of Defense-sponsored STEM youth program.

Biden addressed the media briefly before hosting a roundtable with Space Force military spouses. She spoke inside Starbase Academy from a Space Launch Delta 45 podium, with a mural depicting a future Mars settlement as her backdrop.

“Even though you don’t wear a uniform, you and your children serve this country as well," Biden said to the military spouses.

"We have to make sure that your service is an opportunity of dignity and of honor, of pride and of accomplishment for the whole family,” she said.

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here). Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: First lady Jill Biden tours Space Coast military facilities, meets families