D.C. residents, along with the rest of the country, have only been able to view online many Memorial Day celebrations that would normally be held with the attendance of the public in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
Pre-recorded or live-streamed ceremonies are posted to the Facebook pages of National Mall and Memorial Parks partner organizations.
“Memorial Day is a time we normally gather at the memorials to lay a wreath in honor of the fallen, remember their heroic deeds, and draw inspiration from their sacrifice,” Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a press release on Friday.
“While we may not be able to gather together in the manner in which we are accustomed, we will still ensure those who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of our country are appropriately honored and remembered on Memorial Day.”
This year’s National Memorial Day Concert was aired on Sunday night by PBS, while it was also live-streamed on the network’s Facebook page.
Tonight, we honor the legacy of leadership and perseverance of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen with this moment from the 2017 concert. #MemDayPBS pic.twitter.com/Ye4C7x4KSG
— National Memorial Day Concert (@MemorialDayPBS) May 25, 2020
On Monday, May 25, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was scheduled to host a wreath ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia at 9:00 a.m. (ET). President Donald Trump and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley were also set to participate in the event, which was viewed on the U.S. Department of Defense’s website.
Another live-streamed wreath laying ceremony to honor the nation’s Sea Service members was scheduled to happen on Monday, May 25, at 1:00 p.m. (ET). The event, featuring speeches from the U.S. Navy President & CEO, Rear Admiral Frank Thorp IV, USN (Ret.) and Rear Admiral Carl A. Lahti, can be watched on the U.S. Navy Memorial Facebook page.
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial released a prerecorded video of their virtual Memorial Day celebration on Monday, at 9:00 a.m. It was planned to be followed by a live-streamed wreath-laying ceremony at the National World War II Memorial.