Biden honors war dead at Arlington, implores nation to heal

President Joe Biden adjusts a the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2021, in Arlington, Va.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Joe Biden has honored America’s war dead at Arlington National Cemetery.

In sober Memorial Day remarks, the president extolled the sacrifices of the fallen for the pursuit of democracy, which he called “the soul of America.”

Biden invoked the iconic battles of history and joined them to the present as he implored Americans to rise above the divisions straining the union.

He described those divisions in stark terms — as a perennial battle between “our worst instincts” and “our better angels.”

Biden laid a wreath at the hallowed burial ground, cupping it in his hands in silent reflection as cicadas chattered loudly.