A MEMORIAL DAY, LIKE NO OTHER
Pandemic forces virtual observances through county
Memorial Day 2020 will be different than any other year in history.
With Delaware County and most of Southeastern Pennsylvania still in the state’s red phase of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 through stay-athome orders, the closure of schools, the temporary shut-down of non-essential businesses, and the prohibition of large gatherings, this year’s local Memorial Day plans on Monday, May
25, will be void of the typical parades, department store sales, picnics and wellattended memorial observations and ceremonies.
However, like with other important events that have occurred during the red phase of the pandemic, including graduations, weddings, milestone birthdays, church services, and more, Memorial Day has forced local residents to rely on their creativity and ingenuity to uphold tradition by thinking outside of the box, in order to keep a sense of normalcy during not-so-normal times.
Originally known as Decoration Day, the annual holiday originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971 to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Memorial Day, which occurs each year on the last Monday in
May, unofficially marks the beginning of the summer season.
In lieu of parades and crowded community ceremonies, most events this year will be solemn, low key and quiet.
“American Legion Post 777 will not be hosting our annual Memorial Day parade and activities due to COVID,” Commander George Casey stated. “However, a small group of us will meet at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Chester at 10 a.m. Monday, to do a Memorial Day visit to the grave of Fredrick A. Scott, for whom our post is named.”
Casey said the small group will fire their weapons, do a short reading and head to the veterans memorial, located in the Crum Lynne section of Ridley Township to do another short reading and firing of weapons, paying tribute to their fallen brothersin-arms, and that will wrap up the commemoration services for the day. Most of the other posts and veterans groups around the county are following a similar pattern.
“It’s not going to be a normal celebration this year, that’s for sure,” said VFW
928 Post Commander Gene Taylor. “It’s going to be soft and silent.”
Taylor, a Vietnam War Army veteran, said he isn’t going to advertise the small, low-key ceremony that the post will hold to honor their fallen comrades at noon on Monday. Only a few members of the post, along with a few members of Stars and Stripes, Bars and Pipes, will participate in the ceremony at the post in the Folsom section of Ridley Township. As commander, Taylor said that he will say a few words and post Chaplain Phil Atwood, a World War II Navy veteran, will say some prayers, as well as play Taps.
With the post’s front lawn decorated with tiny white crosses to honor the
450 deceased members of
Post #928, the VFW’s small ceremony will be in stark contrast to former years when the Memorial Day ceremony drew a large number of participants to the post on MacDade Boulevard, as well as a social gathering afterward.
“Because of the way things are, I am sure some people are still going to come, but we are not encouraging it,” the commander said.
A small quiet ceremony is also planned over at the Harold Paul Saks Amvets Post #118 in Morton. Commander Charles Dougherty, as well as post members Harry Mirra, Bill Neuland, Mark Hines, Jeff Elliot and a few others will attend to say a few prayers and place the flag at half staff.
Mirra, a past state commander of AMVETS, explained this year’s added importance of having a ceremony, even if it’s smaller than previous years.
“We had a few people who died this past year, so we want to mention their names at our service,” Mirra said. “They are Commander Lyn Byron and Robert Simpson.”
The post sponsors an annual Americanism program for students, with art and essay contests. In past years, the prizes were awarded at the annual Memorial Day ceremony, with the children and their families in attendance.
“We recently selected the winners and have contacted all the parents, but this year, we just sent the awards to the children,” Mirra shared.
For the 21st year, the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Brigade will attend and serve as honor guard at the Memorial Day ceremonies in Collingdale and Darby. The Darby Memorial Service is 9 a.m., followed by the Collingdale Memorial service at 10 a.m. To encourage people to attend virtually while sheltered in place in their home, the Collingdale event will be broadcast on Facebook live for anyone who will feel safer viewing from a distance.
The Collingdale Memorial Day ceremony on Monday morning will be held at the Collingdale Community Center, 800 MacDade Blvd., and feature a flag raising, firing squad, bagpiper, and music. The main speaker will be Collingdale resident and Navy veteran George Kaiser, Collingdale fire marshal, emergency management coordinator and local business owner. Collingdale Police and Fire Chaplain Rev. Perry Messick will also participate and Police Cpl. William Carter will serve as bagpiper. The All Wars Memo
rial will be decorated with wreaths representing all previous wars and borough organizations. The wreaths will be placed by First Responders from Collingdale Fire Co. and EMS, along with the Collingdale Police Department.
Social distancing and face masks will be required for all attendees.
“Besides honoring our veterans, this service will include the additional
95,000 Americans taken down by this ugly monster, including one of our own from our firing team, Billy “Rides” Ostland,” stated Jack Corcoran, commander of Cpl. Wm. Greifzu VFW #598, located on Main Street in Darby. “Billy died of COVID-19 at the age of 64 on May 8. This year’s Memorial Day service is needed more than any service we have done in our
21-year history. Usually we do six services but this year, due to the pandemic, we are only doing two. Our post continues to be closed until further notice because of the current situation.”
The Upper Darby Marine Corps League Detachment ordinarily would hold eight or nine flag ceremonies and salutes to departed Marines and their family members at various cemeteries, followed by a barbecue. But with the pandemic this year, members will hold a brief ceremony on their front lawn on Providence Road in Secane, raising and then lowering the flag to half mast, and playing Taps.
In what has been a 20year tradition, Marine Corps members also placed about 1,000 flags on the graves of veterans at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill Friday evening.
Over in Springfield, the pandemic has altered the format of the township’s annual ceremony of honoring and remembering local fallen soldiers in a ceremony led by the Springfield American Legion Post 227, but it hasn’t changed the tradition or the spirit.
Due to COVID-19, Springfield will not host a parade. Instead, a remembrance ceremony will be conducted on Monday, May 25, and live streamed at 10:15 a.m. on community channels Comcast Channel 5 and Verizon Channel 30 and on the American Legion Post 227 Facebook page.
The live-streamed memorial service will include a prayer for all Springfield residents who gave their lives in service to the country, the ringing of a bell as each name is called, a rifle volley salute with taps played, and special recognition to Private First Class George Talbot, United States Army.
PFC George P. Talbot was killed in action at age 19 during World War II on March 12, 1945, near the town of Fechingen, Germany, while serving with the 63rd Infantry Division. He was a 1944 graduate of Springfield High School.
If preferred, Springfield residents are invited to respectfully view the memorial service beginning at 10 a.m., by driving by slowly and quietly in a procession. Cars can begin lining up at 9:45 a.m. People can also wave American flags, decorate their vehicles in red, white and blue and display signs, in a show of patriotism and support.
Cars should enter the Springfield Township Building parking lot from Powell Road and exit onto Fairview Road. In respect for the ceremony, drivers are asked to refrain from horn blowing, playing music and other loud noises. All Memorial Day service participants must adhere to social distancing at least 6 feet apart and wear face masks. For the most current information, check the township’s website (SpringfieldDelco. org) or the Springfield Police Department website (Springfieldpd.com).
Springfield American Legion Post 227 Vice Commander William Smeck said, “We are very grateful for the help of the Springfield Township commissioners, the Springfield Police Department, the Springfield Fire Department and Springfield Ambulance Corps. Without their assistance, the upcoming event would not have been possible.”
Over in the county seat of Media, safety is paramount to this year’s Memorial Day observation. Rather than the annual parade that would normally march down State Street on Monday and draw crowds of spectators, this year’s observation will be prerecorded on Saturday so that residents and others can watch a special Memorial Day ceremony safely in the comfort of their homes.
“Because of all the rules this year, we cannot have any gatherings with more than ten people,” Media Mayor Bob McMahon explained. “This didn’t leave us too many options.”
The ceremony will be filmed at the Media Veterans Memorial in front of Spasso Italian Grill, 1 W. State St. In honor of deceased veterans, the flag will be lowered to half staff until noon on Sunday and Monday.
Dave Sibley, owner of On Video, will film the 15-minute ceremony that will include brief remarks by McMahon, aU.S. Army Vietnam
War veteran, the Pledge of Allegiance by 98-year-old Navy World War II vet Wave Gladys Martin and a mini-concert by Kevin Pierce, chief of police of the borough of South Coatesville. Pierce, an accomplished vocalist, will sing the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful,” and “God Bless the USA.” The ceremony will conclude with Ray Stankus of the Vietnam Veterans of America who will play Taps on his bugle.
Although filmed on Sunday, the video will not be released until 10 a.m. Monday, the exact time and day in previous years when the parade kicked off. According to McMahon and Sibley, people can watch the ceremony on various Media websites: mediaborough.com/, veteranslegacy. org, mediabusinessauthority.com and visitmediapa.com. They will also be able to view the short film through social media, such as the Facebook pages of “Visit Media Pa,” “Media, Pa Everybody’s Hometown,” “Media Business Authority” and “Veterans Legacy Project.”
McMahon said they also hope to mail a link to the film to everyone on the Media Borough and Veterans Legacy email data bases, so that as many people as possible can watch to honor and pay tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for everyone’s freedom.
Media VFW Post 3460 will hold three Honor Guard activities on Memorial Day 2020, none of which are open to the public due to the current situation. Members of the Honor Guard will drive separately and stand distanced from each other, wearing black face masks, BDUs, boots, berets and jackets. Shots will be fired and Taps will be played at the Media War Memorial on Providence Road and at the Media Veterans Memorial on State
Street, followed by a flag lowering and raising at the post on Hilltop Road.
In Havertown, American Legion Post 338 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 113 will also alter their traditional Memorial Day observance. Although not open to public
attendance, Haverford will conduct Memorial Day observances to live stream on its website (haverfordtownship.org) for viewing. American Legion Post 338 and DAV Post 113 will provide the township with wreaths as they have done in the past, as well as provide them with the names of members who have passed away so far this year.
Although there will be social distancing and
masks required, some veterans groups will scale back ceremonies somewhat from previous years, but still allow the public to attend them. Boothwyn American Legion #951 has opted to go ahead with its annual ceremonies, but use extra caution with distancing and face masks.
According to Post Commander Neil Cuerden, members of the post will perform the annual flag
replacement at Lawncroft Cemetery on Ridge Road in Linwood on Saturday, May
23. Members will assemble at the post at 9 a.m. to load the flags, and then proceed to Lawncroft Cemetery at
10 a.m., where they will be joined by local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, along with members of Boothwyn, Ogden, and Reliance Fire Companies.
On Monday, May 25, Ogden Post #951 members will
lead ceremonies at various local memorials in Lower and Upper Chichester. They will gather at the post by 9 a.m. and caravan in separate vehicles to the Chichester Friends Quaker Cemetery on Meetinghouse Road, Boothwyn Elementary School, Trainer Municipal Building, and back to the American Legion Post on Ogden Avenue. A short ceremony featuring the laying of wreaths and meaningful
readings will be held at all locations where honors will be rendered in memory of all those who paid the ultimate price for freedom.
“There may be social distancing and a little altering of our usual plans this year,” Cuerden remarked, “But the meaning of Memorial Day is the same. We must never forget those who died in service to our country and the sacrifices made by all veterans.”