With the United States still navigating through the coronavirus pandemic, most people are destined to celebrate Memorial Day differently in 2020 than they have in previous years. Cemetery visitation guidelines and social distancing requirements may affect memorialization for those who typically spend the day in solemn reflection of those they lost to war. People who prefer to mark Memorial Day by participating in community parades, or hosting social gatherings at the beach or a block party are equally likely to find their plans frustrated.
Disruptions to typical Memorial Day plans need not quash celebrations of those men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. In fact, with increased space and time to contemplate the holiday’s roots, the numerous options for celebrating a social distancing Memorial Day can help all honor the day’s true meaning.
Cemetery Visitation
Many veterans and family members spend time gathering at the gravesites of friends and loved ones on Memorial Day. Unfortunately, those plans are likely to be disrupted by COVID-19.
Arlington National Cemetery will open during Memorial Day weekend only to those with family passes. Visitors must comply with social distancing guidelines, wear masks, and restrict their visitation to the gravesites of their loved ones. The cemetery does plan to release a “multi-media virtual visitation” through its website and social media accounts for those who are affected by these restrictions.
Veterans Affairs cemeteries will be open for public access. To avoid periods of crowding, visitors are asked to consider making a trip between Friday and Sunday and must refrain from hosting “any large gatherings or close contact with other families.” Wreath-laying ceremonies will be conducted privately, but the VA will livestream ceremonial wreath-laying events on Friday at Riverside National Cemetery, in California, and on Monday at Calverton National Cemetery, in New York, and at Quantico National Cemetery and Culpeper National Cemetery in Virginia.
Important traditions associated with visiting gravesites include tending a friend or loved one’s headstone and leaving behind flags, flowers, coins, or other items of personal significance. Because being unable to visit properly may be distressing for the friends and family of fallen service members, the VA has created a Veterans Legacy Memorial site for each of the 3.7 million veterans laid to rest in its cemeteries. Members of the public are encouraged to leave remembrances and dedications online if they are unable to do so in person safely.
Televised or Livestreamed Events
A number of broadcasts promise to connect viewers with the communal traditions of Memorial Day. The American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters, in lieu of distributing poppies to people on National Poppy Day, will host a virtual National Poppy Day watch party on Facebook on Friday from 12–1 p.m.
Though it will not be presented to a live audience, PBS will broadcast its annual National Memorial Day Concert on Sunday, beginning at 8 p.m. This year’s presentation promises to contain “new performances and tributes filmed in different locations around the country and iconic stories from past concerts.”
While the American Veterans Center’s National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., has been canceled due to the pandemic, it will be replaced with a television special, airing on Memorial Day on Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC. “The National Memorial Day Parade: America Stands Tall” will “salute the sacrifice of our uniformed men and women of previous generations” and “applaud the current sacrifices being made by our nurses, doctors, grocery and pharmacy workers, and truckers, who are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.”
Private Tributes
I have always found that my greatest moments of gratitude for our fallen come during quiet hours contemplating tributes to their sacrifices. John McCrae’s enduring classic In Flanders Fields is a favorite. Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est is a persistent reminder of the less-than-glorious realities of battle. Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink’s The Fallen Soldier is an incredibly touching dedication to the ceaseless courage of individual Americans across history who gave their lives to purchase the freedoms we enjoy.
Last year, I wrote about the military tradition of honoring those who lost their lives in service to the country by creating a symbolic Missing Man Table in their honor at ceremonial gatherings. In 2020, for those of us who are homebound, creating a tribute from any of the Missing Man Table’s components is a meaningful way to educate or remind all assembled within our walls about the immense sacrifices through which our freedom was gained.
For many, Memorial Day will not be celebrated in the fashion to which they are accustomed. Between high-tech solutions such as livestreamed memorial programs and virtual gravesite visitations and low-tech options, such as poetry and at-home dedications to the honored fallen, people need not fear forgetting the men and women who allow us to enjoy our land and liberty. In fact, I am hopeful that the more stationary nature of our celebrations may bring many Americans back to the roots of Memorial Day’s meaning.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
