Joe and Jill Biden Visit Gravesite of Late Son Beau Ahead of Memorial Day Ceremony

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta Joe Biden, Jill Biden

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden participated in two solemn observances on Monday: one, to remember their son Beau Biden on the anniversary of his May 30, 2015 death, and another in honor of Memorial Day.

On Monday morning, the couple visited the gravesite for Beau, a former National Guardsman and two-term Delaware attorney general who died seven years ago, at age 46 of brain cancer.

According to a pool report, the Bidens attended a service at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Wilmington, Delaware early Monday.

Following the service, the couple — accompanied by their grandchildren and the president's sister, Valerie Biden Owens — walked to Beau's gravesite at the nearby church cemetery.

Beau's death is one of the tragedies that have shaped the trajectory of the president-elect's political career.

The deaths of Biden's wife Neilia and 13-month-old daughter Naomi, in a 1972 car crash that injured his sons as well, are also foundational to his story as a lawmaker, and occurred after he had been elected the youngest-ever senator but before he was sworn in.

When Biden took his oath for the Senate on Jan. 5, 1973, he did so in front of a then 3-year-old Beau's hospital bed, as Beau recovered from his injuries.

RELATED: President Joe Biden Put Up a Photo of Late Son Beau as Soon as He Moved Into the Oval Office

Later on Monday, the Bidens paid a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony and the president delivered remarks.

Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock

Upon arrival at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday afternoon, the president and first lady were greeted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff, as well as ceremonial troops and military officials, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.

After laying a wreath red and white roses (wrapped in red, white and blue ribbons) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, President Biden made the sign of the cross, according to pool reports.

RELATED: Dr. Jill Biden Speaks Out About the Challenges Facing Military Families: 'We Will Care For Them'

Both the President Biden and Dr. Biden have made the military a focus during their time in office.

For the Biden family, it's an issue that's deeply personal, as Beau served in the Delaware Army National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2008.

Sipa USA Joe Biden

In an essay penned for Parents earlier this year, Dr. Biden spoke out about the unique challenges faced by veteran caregivers and military families.

"It's up to all of us to keep the promise we make to those who stand between our nation and danger: that we will care for them and their families while they serve and when their service is finished," she wrote, calling on the American people to reach out to the military families in their own community and offer to assist however they can: through mentorship, for example, or by including the families in neighborhood activities.

Later on Monday, the Bidens are scheduled to join surviving families of service members who have passed away in a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, where they will plant a magnolia tree "in honor of those who have lost their lives and the families who carry on their legacies," the White House said.