Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly praised more than 1,000 Kaneohe-based Marines, sailors and other military members — and their families — in a 15-minute address at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Thursday, then spent about an hour shaking hands with every person who wanted to meet him.

Biden arrived on Oahu Wednesday after spending eight days in Japan, China and Mongolia, where he told Asian leaders that the United States is "a resident Pacific power, and we intend to stay that way," he repeated to the group gathered Thursday in a sweltering hangar at the base. "We are not going away."

In his only public comments in Hawaii before departing Thursday night for Washington, D.C., Biden greeted a cheering crowd made up primarily of Marines.

With Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, Mayor Peter Carlisle and U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye in attendance, Biden singled out Inouye — a Medal of Honor recipient for his service in World War II — for special praise.

Biden and Inouye worked together in the U.S. Senate for 36 years, where Inouye now serves as Senate pro tem, "and I’ve never met a finer man in my life," Biden said as Marines cheered in agreement.

Biden spent the bulk of his remarks praising and thanking post-9/11 military members whom he called "the greatest generation of warriors that the world has ever produced."

Hawaii-based Marines are preparing for another deployment to Afghanistan, and some already have served five or six deployments, Biden said.

"I say godspeed and God bless you," Biden said. "I came here for one primary reason, to say thank you. … Never before has our nation asked as much of an all-volunteer force as we’ve asked of you."

Only 1 percent of Americans fight in war, Biden said, "but that 1 percent is made up of the most extraordinary women and men this country has ever known. You should be proud of your generation. I’m proud of your generation. … We owe you a lot. We owe you a lot."

America, he said, has a "sacred obligation to give you everything you need as we deploy you into harm’s way. And we guarantee you everything we can when you return to make you and your families whole. That is the only sacred obligation that America has."

Biden praised not only military members, but also offered thanks "to your families, to your husbands, your wives, your mothers, your fathers, your sons and your daughters — all those who love you and have sacrificed so much … to be able to take care of this country’s needs."

While his own son, Beau Biden, was deployed to Iraq with the Delaware National Guard, Biden recalled his wife, Jill, standing over the kitchen sink every morning "quietly not being afraid," the vice president said.

"When you’re gone, your mother, your wife, your husband — there’s not a single moment — not a single moment — you’re out of their minds," Biden said.

But most Americans, he said, "have no idea what your family’s going through."

"I mean this from the bottom of my heart," Biden concluded. "On behalf of a grateful nation, let me once again say thank you. Thank you and your spouses for everything you’ve done and what you continue to do to keep this country safe. I’m honored as vice president of the United States."

Abigail Brinker and her husband, Marine Cpl. Randall Brinker of Cincinnati, listened to Biden’s speech with their three children — ages 2, 3, and 7 — and liked his comments about family members.

"I really appreciated him recognizing families and their sacrifice," Abigail Brinker said.

Marine Capt. Sam Ajayi of Bryan, Texas, stood in line to shake Biden’s hand and said, "I definitely think he understands what service members go through and what our families go through. He understands the sacrifices we make, and that’s all we can ask for."