Coronavirus probably won’t stop backyard Memorial Day barbecues heralding summer’s unofficial start this year. But the day’s real purpose — remembering Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country — will most likely unfold without parades, assemblies and other remembrance events.
This is an especially tough year to see Memorial Day events reduced or canceled because it marks the 75th anniversary of World War II’s end. Memorial Day cancellations will reduce the number of events where speakers pay tribute to that small band of Greatest Generation members who are still alive to remember D-Day, Iwo Jima, the Ardennes, Okinawa and Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan Day.
Just as coronavirus has made us reinvent new ways to work and to study, the pandemic should also make us resolve to remember those who served our country, even though we cannot attend remembrance ceremonies.
An easy way to mark the day is to take time to organize a Memorial Day tour. Monuments saluting veterans and marking the sacrifice made in every community to ensure freedom are easy to find. Most Americans probably cannot remember the last time they read a commemorative plaque or the names engraved in a local war memorial.
A 15-minute trip to Breed Square or Lynn Common or Monument Avenue in Swampscott or the Civil War plot in Saugus or the Nahant memorial or Peabody Square and Lynnfield Common can provide children and adults a history lesson and an opportunity to honor lives cut short in defense of freedom.
Walk or drive through most major intersections in Massachusetts communities and you’re treated to a history lesson combined with a Memorial Day tribute. Signs honoring veterans are posted and it’s easy to jot down veterans’ names and root around online a little to learn the definition of courage and honor.
We’re praising front line heroes in the fight against coronavirus. Let’s harness that spirit and gratitude on Memorial Day to take a little time to remember fallen heroes who served on the front lines in wars past.
