Groton ― First lady Jill Biden told the crew and family members of the USS Delaware (SSN-791) at a holiday party inside the Submarine Force Museum Thursday evening that the submarine is family to her.

Biden said that as the sub’s sponsor, the daughter of a World War II Navy veteran, and a National Guard mother who watched her son deploy to Iraq, she has seen “the heart of this team” and is “proud and humbled to be your shipmate for life.”

“You’ve shown the world again and again what it means to be the first defenders of liberty,” Biden told the crew and their families. “You stand on the front lines carrying on the legacy of the sailors and the boats before you protecting our democracy from whatever threats it may face so those here at home can keep reaching for tomorrows that are brighter than our todays.”

She thanked the military children and spouses and said that while they may not wear a uniform, she and the president know that they serve their country too. She said Joining Forces, her White House initiative to support military and veterans’ families, caregivers and survivors, is working to make sure they have the resources they need and the opportunity they want.

After Biden’s address, crew members and family members lined up to take photos with her. She smiled, greeted them and handed out Challenger coins as holiday music played. The museum was decorated with Christmas trees and gold ribbons, and there were activities for children.

The USS Delaware, a Virginia-class attack submarine commissioned in 2020, has an approximately 130-member crew commanded by Robert Low. It completed its six-month maiden deployment to US Sixth Fleet in August 2023.

This was not Biden’s first visit to Groton. In 2021, she and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro visited with the USS Delaware families at the U.S. Submarine Veterans Club in Groton.

Nicole Cruz-Glacken, the spouse of USS Delaware Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Christopher E. Glacken, thanked Biden for what she has represented so far, especially for military spouses. She said it’s difficult for military families to move from state to state, especially with education and work certification, which are all issues Biden has advocated for and she has benefited from.

She said she is honored that the first lady came to visit with the USS Delaware families and crew members, because she knows she has a busy schedule.

“I know there are very important things going on and coming up, so for her to be here with us tonight, for me especially as military spouse, it’s moving,” Cruz-Glacken said.

Karen Vrazel, whose husband, Marshall Vrazel, is a petty officer third class on the Delaware, said she is excited to move from Texas to Groton in about three months. But Vrazel, an English teacher in Texas, said she is worried about finding the same type of job in Connecticut. She said she is sure Biden, an educator, understands completely her situation and she is very grateful.

Capt. Thomas O'Donnell, commodore of Submarine Squadron 12, also welcomed the families and crew. Town Mayor Rachael Franco, City of Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., were also present at the event.

Outside the museum gates on Thursday evening, pro-Palestine protesters held signs and chanted.

Biden arrived Thursday evening at the Groton-New London Airport after speaking at an event earlier in the day focused on women’s health and menopause at the University of Illinois-Chicago with actress Halle Berry.

k.drelich@theday.com