Honoring fallen heroes continued during shutdown
STILLWATER, N.Y. » Saratoga National Cemetery workers gathered around their lunch room television, where they anxiously awaited the outcome of Monday’s U.S. Senate vote which, followed by House approval, ended a government shutdown.
Unlike many federal employees, they still had a job to do, giving a final resting place to those who served their country.
Cemetery Director Scott Lamb reminded workers to keep things in perspective, regardless of how the vote went.
“The folks we’re taking care of are having a lot worse day than we are because they’re burying a loved one,” he said. “It’s an essential service, so we’re staying open. It doesn’t close us.”
Six funerals took place Monday, each one staffed by volunteer Honor Guard members.
“Our elected officials should work together and try to get through this,” Tim Forbes said. “It affects our troops in a lot of different ways. They shouldn’t have to worry about what’s going on at home when they’re overseas.”
Marty Allen said, “It affects families more than the troops.”
“I have a message for the Congress, Senate and president,” Glenn Duffy said. “Get people back to work.”
But unless Republicans and Democrats can hammer out differences on major issues such as immigration and the budget, the
possibility of another shutdown looms on Feb. 8.
Niall Munnelly, of Ulster County, stopped by Saratoga National Historical Park on Monday, hoping to show his 12-year-old nephew, Gabriel, the place where the Turning Point of the American Revolution took place.
“I love parks, I love history,” said Gabriel Munnelly, of Cumberland, R.I.
But the park Visitor Center was closed by the shutdown.
“Here we are all dressed up and nowhere to go,” Niall Munnelly said with a shrug. “We saw the sign and decided to stop. I’m glad I didn’t schedule my whole day around coming here. This is about a dysfunctional government. It’s a crappy disease we’ve got in the country right now.”
Rob and Judy Rosenzweig, who visited the National Cemetery, said they’re concerned about the current political situation’s impact on their son, Todd, a U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant who’s in the process of moving from Germany to Montana, where he’ll be stationed.
The shutdown put essential federal employees, from cemetery workers to military personnel, at risk of not being paid despite showing up work. If the short-lived impasse had continued, paychecks would have been delayed until the government reopened.
“So much is going by the wayside,” Rob Rosenzweig, said about the shutdown’s impact. “It’s definitely a hardship.”