DAYTON — The coronavirus has left a lot of families without the traditional Memorial Day observances they have for loved ones.
The Dayton National Cemetery normally holds a ceremony that includes a 21 gun salute and wreath laying.
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Today, however, the ceremony was cancelled because of COVID-19 and the cemetery is lacking the normal slew of community members that typically fill the space.
The Dayton National Cemetery has more than 55,000 grave sites and a flag is usually put at every headstone by boy scouts who come out and place them, but this year they were unable to participate in the tradition.
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One family member said the missing flags were the first thing she noticed and it disappointed her.
“They got to have the flags down on each one,” said Linda Dotson.
“Ever since we’ve been coming, like I said, I was 5, there’s always been flags on all of the headstones. But we still celebrate and keep their memory.”
Although the traditional ceremony was unable to take place, a lot of people have found ways to honor their loved ones by placing flowers and their own flags at headstones.
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