President Biden paid tribute Monday at Arlington National Cemetery to veterans who died in America's wars, calling them “a link in the chain of honor” who deserve recognition for protecting the country's democracy.
“Freedom is never guaranteed,” Biden said in a nine-minute speech on Memorial Day, moments after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
“Every generation has to earn it. Fight for it. Defend it in the struggle between autocracy and democracy,” he said of the country's veterans. “Our democracy is more than just a system of government. It is the soul of America.”
His somber message was in stark contrast to that of former President Donald J. Trump, his challenger for re-election this year, who posted an angry and inflammatory Memorial Day message on his social media site.
“Happy Memorial Day to everyone, including the human scum who are working so hard to destroy our once great country,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump also wished a happy Memorial Day to Lewis Kaplan, the federal judge who oversaw the trials in which the former president was accused of defamation. Mr. Trump called Judge Kaplan “a radical leftist, a federal judge who hates Trump.” He also called Judge Arthur F. Engoron, who presided over Trump's civil fraud case, a “madman.”
In an earlier, more traditional Memorial Day missive on Truth Social, Trump posted a photo of himself saluting a wreath while president, saying, “WE CAN NEVER REPLACE THEM. WE CAN NEVER REFUND THEM. BUT WE CAN ALWAYS REMEMBER IT.”
But his vitriolic post followed a few minutes later as a reminder of the stark differences between the two rivals for the White House. As has been the case for years, both as president and as a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump showed that he would not adhere to the norms of behavior that guide the nation's leaders on a somber national holiday.
Mr. Biden's actions, by contrast, were typical of the kind of message conveyed by other presidents of both parties.
He focused mainly on the sacrifices of the past: soldiers who died in Afghanistan, Korea, Vietnam and the two world wars.
“Our fallen heroes have brought us closer together today,” he said. “We are not only the happy heirs of their legacy. We have the responsibility to be the guardians of their mission, the truest commemoration of their lives.”
Mr. Biden made no mention of the wars raging in Europe and the Middle East, where he has pledged not to send American soldiers to fight alongside allies in Ukraine or Israel. Nevertheless, the United States is involved in both conflicts. The military helps provide humanitarian aid in Gaza and rests and supports fighters in both places against Russia and Hamas.
Mr. Biden took a moment during the speech to remember his son Beau, who died of brain cancer after serving in Iraq as a member of the National Guard. The president has long said he believes his son developed cancer from living next to open “incinerator pits” in Iraq, where the military burned waste and produced toxic smoke that nearby soldiers inhaled.
“This week marks nine years since I lost my son,” the president said, carefully adding that Beau Biden's death was “not the same” as those of soldiers who lost their lives in combat.
“The pain of his loss is still with me every day, as it is with you,” he said. “Still sharp, still clear. But that also applies to pride.”
It is that pride, the president said, that Americans should remember when service members return home from battle or when their grieving relatives receive their remains.
Mr. Biden has repeatedly said he believes the nation's “sacred” obligation is to care for military members returning home from combat or to care for the relatives of those who have died. He repeated that promise again on Monday.
He applauded the 2022 passage of legislation he championed to make it easier for service members to receive health care and other benefits for conditions most likely caused by burns and other toxic exposures.
Mr. Biden said the legislation and other efforts to support veterans were an expression of gratitude from a grateful nation.
“Gratitude to our fallen heroes,” he said. “Gratitude to the families left behind. And gratitude to the brave souls who continue to hold aloft the flame of freedom throughout our country and around the world.”