A mistimed tribute to victims
Trump’s intention to honor those who died from COVID-19 conflicts with Memorial Day
President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered that federal government buildings, military posts and embassies would fly the U.S. flag at half-staff throughout the Memorial Day weekend in tribute to the nearly 100,000 Americans killed by coronavirus.
It’s the right intention and a welcome gesture, but the wrong time.
Perhaps it’s a perspective molded by living in Hampton Roads, home to tens of thousands of service members and some of the nation’s most important military installations, but Memorial Day should be focused on the country’s war dead, full stop.
The United States endures because of the men and women who gave their lives in its defense. It is fitting that we pay them tribute, even if only for one day. But that day should by theirs and theirs alone.
The coronavirus pandemic has exacted a terrible toll in this country, and it is hard to comprehend the deaths of so many Americans in such a short span of time. We mourn them and grieve with everyone who has lost a loved one.
But any public show of honor in their memory shouldn’t distract from the annual commemoration of our war dead. And it seems rather premature when the disease is still responsible for hundreds of deaths per day.
Credit to the president for wanting to pay tribute to the victims of this awful illness, which is important for us to do as a nation. Choosing Memorial Day, however, was an unfortunate misstep.
Flooding worries
A stalled low-pressure system over southwest Virginia inundated communities there with between 6-10 inches of rain in a span of three days. Flooding followed and Roanoke was one of the places that experienced the worst of it.
According to the Roanoke Times on Friday, the Roanoke River was expected to crest at about 16 feet early that morning, prompting the evacuation of several neighborhoods and some businesses. Vehicles were carried away by the slowly rising and swiftly moving water.
Fire-EMS crews performed several rescues, plucking people from cars that were caught in the flood. (Let that be a good reminder, with hurricane season approaching, to never attempt to drive through water.)
Flooding is the most insidious natural disaster, from its danger to health and safety, the cost of damage it can inflict and the sluggish pace of cleanup and rebuilding. Communities heavily damaged by flooding can take years to recover.
So as we think of those affected in Roanoke and the commonwealth moves to help, consider this a good time to review your flood insurance policy — or to get one — before Hampton Roads faces the prospect of tropical weather.
There’s no reason to be caught unprepared, so make that a priority in the week to come.
Graduating together
Gov. Ralph Northam announced in March that schools across Virginia would be closed for the remainder of the academic year. It was a necessary, if difficult, decision, one that has affected the lives of every child in the commonwealth.
We are especially sympathetic to high school seniors, who will be deprived of so many traditions and rituals associated with the end of their secondary schooling. That includes proms and class events, spring sports and, of course, graduation.
There is no way yet to safely hold a large in-person ceremony to honor this year’s graduating class. So on Friday, Virginia will do the next best thing.
Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam will host “Virginia Graduates Together,” a 30-minute ceremony celebrating the perseverance, determination and achievements of the Class of 2020. The program, produced with the help of Virginia Public Media, affords the commonwealth a chance to honor these remarkable young adults as they begin the next stage of their promising lives.
The program can be seen Friday at 5 p.m. on Virginia PBS stations and Facebook LIVE. While it won’t replace that which was lost, may it still show this year’s graduates how proud we are of them.