Quiet parades, virtual events in era of COVID
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 101year tradition of veterans marching on Fifth Avenue. President Trump took part in an observance at Arlington National Cemetery, while Presidentelect Joe Biden honored the nation’s fallen at the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia.
More than 4,200 veterans have died from COVID19 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 staterun 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 COVID19 because of their age and underlying health conditions, some of which can be traced to exposure to the Vietnamera 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 planned to honor veterans throughout the day with gifts, treats, music and a virtual ceremony.
In Idaho, 33 residents of the state veterans home in Boise have tested positive, including nine on Tuesday, said home administrator Rick Holloway. Six have died, and four are hospitalized.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little pleaded with residents to wear masks and socially distance in honor of those who served in the armed forces.
Ninetyeight veterans have died from COVID19 in Missouri’s seven veterans homes since Sept. 1, and Gov. Mike Parson ordered an independent review after several deaths in October.
In Oklahoma, more than 300 cases of coronavirus have been reported at six of the state’s seven veterans homes and 72 residents have died from COVID19. Officials believe the two worst outbreaks were caused by an employee who was infected but had no symptoms.