Joe, Jill Biden talk to kids who have lost family member in war

Vice President Joe Biden, and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, were at Camp Pendleton on Friday, talking to children who have lost a family member in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The 40-plus children were attending a camp out event at Palomar Mountain sponsored by the USO/Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). The children and their adult chaperones were brought to the base for a display of Marine gear and then an informal talk with the vice president - followed by ice cream.

Much of the conversation was light. Why are you wearing a suit? It’s what I wear, Biden said. How did you get to be vice president? The nominee for president, Barack Obama, asked me.

Then came a serious moment. A girl said she gets sad when she thinks of her father, who was killed in combat.

Biden said that he, too, has lost loved ones: His first wife and their daughter were killed in an auto accident.

“It’s OK to feel sad,” Biden told the children.

]For the record, 10 a.m. June 17: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Biden had lost his first wife and their son in an auto accident. It was his daughter who died in the crash, along with his wife.]

tony.perry@latimes.com