Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Quiet parades, somber virtual events mark Veterans Day
OKLAHOMA CITY » Celebrations marking Veterans Day gave way to somber virtual gatherings Wednesday, with many of the nation’s veterans homes barring visitors to protect their residents from the surging coronavirus that has killed thousands of former members of the U. S. military.
Cemeteries decorated with American flags were silent, as well, as many of the traditional ceremonies were canceled. With infections raging again nationwide, several veterans homes are fighting new outbreaks.
In New York City, a quiet parade of military vehicles, with no spectators, rolled through Manhattan to maintain the 101- year tradition of veterans marching on Fifth Avenue.
More than 4,200 veterans have died from COVID- 19 at hospitals and homes run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and nearly 85,000 have been infected, according to the department.
That death toll does not include an untold number who have died in private or state- run veterans facilities, including the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts, which had nearly 80 deaths earlier this year.
Two former administrators were charged with criminal offenses after an investigation found that “utterly baffling” decisions caused the disease to run rampant there.
American veterans are especially vulnerable to COVID- 19 because of their age and underlying health conditions, some of which can be traced to exposure to the Vietnam- era defoliant Agent Orange and smoke from burning oilfields in the Persian Gulf.
All told, the coronavirus has taken almost a quartermillion lives in the U. S., or about four times the number of American military deaths in Vietnam.
The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home has barred all visitors for two weeks after a staff member tested positive in late October. It honored the veterans throughout the day with gifts, treats, music and a virtual ceremony.
Officials also remembered those who died at the home in western Massachusetts.
“Those veterans that we
lost will not be forgotten, and we’ll be sure to use their memory that a tragedy like that won’t happen again,” said state Rep.
Aaron Vega.
In Idaho, 33 residents of the state veterans home in Boise have tested positive, including nine Tuesday, said home administrator Rick Holloway. Six have died, and four are hospitalized.
On Veterans Day, the home is normally full of family members, community groups and officials who gather to thank the former members of the military for their service. This year, the halls were empty, and the home planned to serve residents a special prime rib dinner in their rooms.
“It’s a different environment right now — very, very quiet, and the care we’re providing is more one- onone activities,” Holloway said.