KINGSTON – It seemed so different than the years prior when Memorial Day and Labor Day bookended the three months we call summer.
This Memorial Day weekend has been hampered by cold rain, and Sunday, the city’s annual commemoration for its fallen dead was moved to the City Hall chambers.
There was no parade for the second consecutive year because of the Covid pandemic. But Sunday’s service, with outdoor temperatures in the mid-40s, accompanied by wind and rain, was a sign that society was returning back to normalcy with the first public event in that legislative chamber since March 2020, as the pandemic kept groups of people safely away from one another.
“This is an opportunity for us to come together,” said Mayor Steve Noble.
Combat and service deaths are usually a focus of this annual tribute, but Noble pointed out the viral foe amongst us for nearly 18 months has also scarred our veteran community. “So many of those individuals were hospitalized or killed from Covid,” said Noble.
Following the indoor ceremony, the color guard moved outside for Taps and an armed salute.
The color guard and armed salute were manned by the Kingston Veterans Association, and Bill Forte, the group’s chairman, said fallen veterans, due to suicide at home after their service elsewhere, should, too, be honored for their sacrifices.
“Be mindful of the men and women who have injuries sight unseen,” he said. “Without them, we would have nothing.”
