Biden says democracy 'worth dying for' in speech honoring fallen troops Biden attends Memorial Day ceremony Replay Video UP NEXT President Joe Biden, observing his first Memorial Day as commander-in-chief, delivered remarks Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, painting democracy as the "soul of America" and one that "worth fighting for ... worth dying for." "Democracy itself is at peril, here at home and around the world,” Biden warned in an emphatic and emotional address, speaking to military families at Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater. "How we honor the memory of the fallen will determine whether or not democracy will long endure."