Americans on Monday marked a Memorial Day like no other as the coronavirus pandemic upended traditional commemorations and forced communities to honor the nation's military dead with smaller, more subdued ceremonies instead of parades.
President Donald Trump took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and later gave remarks at Fort McHenry in Baltimore to honor those who have given their lives in wars past and those fighting today on the front lines of the pandemic.
"As one nation, we mourn alongside every single family who has lost loved ones, including the families of our great veterans," Trump said. "Together we will vanquish the virus, and America will rise from this crisis to new and even greater heights."
On the weekend that marked the unofficial start of summer, authorities warned people heading to beaches, parks or backyard barbecues to heed social distancing rules to avoid a resurgence of the disease that has infected nearly 5.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 346,000, including nearly 100,000 Americans, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Memorial Day commemorations were canceled or toned down across the country. Veterans, along with nursing home residents, have made up a significant portion of those who have died in the U.S. outbreak.
Frank Groblebe and his wife placed lilacs on several graves at Mountview Cemetery in Billings, Mont., including those of his mother and his father, who served in the Philippines as a Navy Seabee during World War II. Groblebe said he approved of plans to curtail a ceremony, which included a motorcycle procession and moments of quiet remembrance.
"This is our freedom. This is our history. It's what they fought for," Groblebe said, briefly choking up with tears. "Anything that shows respect for it is all right with me."
Sharon Oakland placed mums on the grave of her father, also a Navy veteran in World War II. She watched from a distance as the motorcycles rolled by. "What they've done is remarkable given what's going on with the virus," she said.
The day looked different across the U.S. The 37,000 American flags traditionally placed on the Boston Common to honor Massachusetts military members who died in service were replaced with just 1,000 flags, to limit volunteers and onlookers. In Minneapolis, several bagpipers and drummers lined up outside the Minnesota Veterans Home and played as a parade of cars drove past.
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The city of Woodstock, Ga., held its ceremony online. American Legion Post 316 Commander Julian Windham recognized service members who helped in the global fight against covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
"Even when the enemy is an invisible virus or a microscopic germ, the sacrifices made are just as meaningful," Windham said. The ceremony, which included readings, vocal performances and gunshots from a ceremonial rifle team, were filmed over a series of days last week and edited together, Windham said.
In Montevallo, Ala., Pam Nichols and a small group from the Support Committee for the Alabama National Cemetery privately laid a wreath at the cemetery. The National Cemetery Administration, the agency that oversees 142 national cemeteries, closed them to public ceremonies and flag placement events to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.
"It's disappointing, of course, because that's what we exist for, honoring and keeping the memory of these veterans alive. But at the same time, I understand where they're coming from," said Nichols, who chairs the group.
In Chicago, a neighborhood group that's been holding a parade for more than a half-century also moved its event online, with video clips from previous years and messages from special guests, including veterans and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. In the suburb of Lisle, a convoy of vehicles from fire departments and VFW posts drove silently through village streets.
Fallen military members were honored in New York City with car convoys and small ceremonies.
"It's something we're upset about, but we understand," said Raymond Aalbue, chairman of the United Military Veterans of Kings County, which usually puts on a parade in Brooklyn. There's "no reason to put anybody in harm's way," he said, adding that "it's really cutting quick to the heart of all the veterans."
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On Long Island, a small group of veterans saluted, wearing masks and spaced several feet apart, as a parade of cars passed beneath a large American flag.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined a private ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan, with both the sacrifices of military members and the challenge of the coronavirus on his mind.
"Over 100,000 Americans will lose their lives to this covid virus. How do we honor them? We honor them by growing stronger together," he said.
"We want to make sure we remember them and thank our heroes today."
TRUMP'S EVENTS
At Arlington National Cemetery, Trump touched a large wreath of red, white and lavender flowers in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then saluted. The cemetery has been closed to the public for months because of the pandemic.
At Fort McHenry, he likened the service of American soldiers at the fort who repelled a British assault on Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812 to the "tens of thousands of service members and National Guardsmen" who are caring for patients and delivering supplies during the pandemic.
Trump said brave warriors from the nation's past have shown that "in America, we are the captains of our own fate."
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Baltimore Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young objected to Trump's visit in advance, saying it sends the wrong message about stay-at-home directives and that the city could not afford the added cost of hosting him when it is losing $20 million a month because of the pandemic.
He cited the disproportionate effect the virus has had on his city and called on Trump to "set a positive example" by not traveling during the holiday weekend.
Trump was not dissuaded.
"The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation's history," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement Sunday.
BIDEN APPEARANCE
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months by laying a wreath at Veterans Memorial Park at the Delaware Memorial Bridge in New Castle, near his home.
He and his wife, Jill Biden, wearing black masks, laid a wreath of white flowers in a Memorial Day commemoration that had not been publicly announced beforehand. Biden, a practicing Catholic, made the sign of the cross.
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"Thanks for your service," Biden said, saluting a small group of veterans and other onlookers from a distance as he walked out.
"Never forget the sacrifices that these men and women made," Biden said Monday, according to a pool report from his visit. "Never, ever forget."
Biden's advisers say they plan to return to normal campaign activities at some point, including travel to battleground states. But they're in no hurry, preferring to defer to the advice of health experts and authorities' stay-at-home and social distancing recommendations.
At 77, Biden is among the nation's senior population thought to be especially vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus -- though so is Trump, who turns 74 next month.
"We will never make any choices that put our staff or voters in harm's way," Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said recently, adding that the campaign would resume more traditional activities "when safety allows, and we will not do that a day sooner."
Trump is intent on accelerating his own schedule as he urges the country to get to work. This month, Trump has toured factories in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan that make pandemic supplies. And he plans to be in Florida on Wednesday to watch two NASA astronauts rocket into space.
PUBLIC GATHERINGS
Across the country, a majority of states relaxed restrictions ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, prompting a new wave of challenges over public gatherings and sparking fresh warnings from state officials fearing new instances of community spread.
In Ocean City, Md., videos showed visitors thronging the boardwalk, with only some wearing masks. From Newport Beach, Calif., to the Tampa area along Florida's Gulf Coast, crowds were sometimes dense -- in the latter case, leading authorities to close jammed parking lots.
In midtown Houston on Saturday, more than 100 partygoers packed into a swimming pool area at a club, flouting social distancing orders to maintain space or wear masks. The party came a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, eased restrictions on bars and restaurants.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams issued a dire warning Monday after photos and video showed weekend revelers partying close together. One video posted on social media showed a crammed pool at the Lake of the Ozarks. Many of those seen in the video were young people, who may not experience symptoms if they contract the virus.
"When they then carry the virus and transmit it to a more vulnerable person, this is when we tend to see the long-lasting and tragic impact of these decisions that are being made," Williams said.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson called such behavior "irresponsible and dangerous."
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DRUG EFFORT HALTED
Also on Monday, the World Health Organization halted the hydroxychloroquine arm of its covid-19 drug trials, pending more data, because of safety concerns.
The steering committee decided to suspend enrollment to that arm, WHO officials said Monday. That's after the Lancet medical journal published a study that said the drug, touted by Trump as a treatment, was linked to an increased risk of death and heart ailments.
"It's important to continue to gather evidence on the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine," WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said at a news briefing in Geneva. "We want to use it if it's safe and efficacious, reduces mortality, reduces the length of hospitalization without increasing adverse events."
The studies may resume if data warrants, said Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's health emergencies program. "This has purely been done as a precaution," he said.
The safety monitoring board will meet again and the decision will be reviewed in the next week or two, Swaminathan said.
Information for this article was contributed by Amy Forliti, Matthew Brown, Sara Burnett, R.J. Rico, Will Weissert, Darlene Superville, Jill Colvin and Jay Reeves of The Associated Press; by Justin Sink, Jennifer Jacobs and Corinne Gretler of Bloomberg News; by Katie Glueck and Maggie Haberman of The New York Times; and by Ellen Nakashima, Anne Gearan and Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post.
A Section on 05/26/2020