Recently, President Joe Biden has honored and acknowledged those who have died for the nation this Memorial Day.
He participates in a ceremony being held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in Arlington National Cemetery, the same place where he says that America has long fought for “rule of the people”.
Biden mentions that “democracy itself is in peril – here at home and around the world. A struggle for democracy is taking place around the world. Democracy means the rule of the people. The rule of the people. Not the rule of monarchs. Not the rule of the money.”
He has called upon the nation’s struggles, saying that even the soul of America is struggling because of democracy being in peril. He calls for “truth, founded on facts, not propaganda.” In his speech, he continues, remarking that empathy is the “fuel of democracy.”
By releasing his public speech, he has touched upon events such as the Capitol Hill riots that happened last January 6th, Democrats in the Texas legislature have walked out to prevent a vote, and within days, the president will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin who has had a long standoff with the military coup.
Biden has also linked past battles that occurred in the military along with recent wars located in Afghanistan and Iraq. He says that “they were fighting for democracy. They weren’t fighting to exclude or to enslave. They were fighting to build and broaden and liberate. They weren’t fighting for self, they were fighting for the soul of the nation. For liberty and simple fair play. Simple fair play and decency.”
The president tweets out, “We have a sacred obligation as a nation to always honor the memory of those we’ve lost — and to support their families. That is the vow we make each year on Memorial Day.”
He saluted during a playing of the National Anthem, approaching a memorial wreath and made the sign of the cross during the ceremony. He comments that “we are the children of sacrifice, made by a long line of American servicemembers – each a link in that chain of honor.”
In light of Memorial Day, he says that he wants to “assure each of those families: We will never forget what you gave to our country.”