Its Memorial Day weekend and a lot of things have changed his year. The use of city, county, state, and federal parks has its limitations. The traditional Memorial Day cookouts are highly discouraged because of the crowds, and veterans we cannot honor our deceased comrades. As a veteran it is difficult to set back and watch as the tradition of honoring our own become another victim of the pandemic. Traditional Memorial Day celebrations are not happening, and we must accept that.
The biggest traditions during the Memorial Day weekend for most civilians and veterans alike is now considered dangerous. It is recommended that people not travel over the Memorial Day weekend this year for fear of spreading the virus. Traveling to see friends, family, going camping, having cookouts, and events at our National Cemeteries are now put off until next year.
Memorial Day is the customary beginning of summer, but this year it will feel different because of everything that is going on. It appears those in power are doing what they can to safely open the state. I know there are some of us who are struggling with the loss of tradition, but it appears to be something were going to have to suffer through. There are a lot of people who feel that this pandemic is not as bad as people say. Some believe it is media hype, some blame politicians, I am not sure if there is anyone to blame, but WE’VE GOT THIS, the pandemic will not destroy us because sacrifice is in a veteran’s DNA. We might have to stay at home, but it does not change who we are.
Traditions are a huge part of veteran culture. The military has a deep history and a lot of tradition. These traditions have been around for years. It is hard to not follow them because of something that we do not understand, we cannot see, and we fear. We have never seen something like this that has the potential to change the entire fabric of our traditions, our culture, and our society as we know it. It appears this Memorial Day we will have to put aside our traditional traditions and start creating new ones that can be passed down to future generations. This is our opportunity to bring the traditions back to those veterans who are too ill to participate or attend Memorial Day ceremonies, allowing them to participate from their homes virtually. Hopefully, this will lead to an expansion of the tradition where the events can be done live or virtually leaving no one out. There will be a lot of virtual Memorial Day events happening Monday. Even though we might have to forego attending the parades, visiting the national cemeteries, and getting together to honor our fallen, a new opportunity has arisen. Opening the virtual world can bring the Memorial Day celebrations to our homes.
One of the biggest flaws we have as older veterans is not accepting technology and what it can do for us. We have a tradition of being together on Memorial Day but that appears to be impossible this year. So, I challenge all veterans who want to honor those for Memorial Day to embrace what is available in the virtual world. There is nothing wrong with using technology to keep the Memorial Day tradition’s alive. It will feel different and odd, but it still meets the goals of honoring those who are dear to us. We need to accept what we have so we can move forward in these crazy times.