Vice President Joe Biden spoke candidly about his experiences with grief and even thoughts of suicide when he addressed a survivors of slain military members. The group gathered near the capital for Memorial Day weekend.

At the seminar, which was sponsored by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Biden spoke about the 1972 deaths of his wife and daughter in a car accident.

For the first time in my life, I understood how someone could consciously decide to commit suicide. Not because they were deranged, not because they were nuts, but because they had been to the top of the mountain and they just knew in their heart they'd never get there again.

Biden did, however, end his talk on a positive note, continuing, "There will come a day, I promise you, and your parents, as well, when the thought of your son or daughter or your husband or wife brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye."