America’s second family visited troops in upstate New York on Sunday – their last official appearance before returning to private life.
Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence visited Fort Drum to thank the 10th Mountain Division and their families for serving the country.
“I am here to deliver a very simple message to each of you on behalf of your commander and chief, and to each American: thank you for your service and the 1st Brigade combat team, welcome home,” Pence told service members.
The 1st Brigade recently returned from Afghanistan.
“We are all counting on you,” said the vice president, “because we know we can.”
While addressing the troops, the second lady was moved and her voice faltered in the middle of the sentence as she spoke to the crowd.
“It is an honor to be with you … there I go … on our last trip as vice president and second lady of the United States,” said Karen Pence.
“We are a military family like all of you, our son is a Navy F-35 aviator. He is married to our daughter-in-law Sarah and we are expecting our first grandchild for April. We are very excited ”, continued the second lady.
The second family will be replaced by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff at an oath ceremony on Wednesday.
She is due to resign her seat in the U.S. Senate on Monday.
Harris will be the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first black person.