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&ldquo;It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived.&rdquo; &#8211; George S. Patton
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				Traditionally there is cause to bemoan the lack of attendance at Memorial Day parades. Not to begrudge St. Patrick or St. Nick, but it always feels like the commemoration of our fallen veterans should draw crowds at least of equal size, yet for years Memorial Day seemed among the least attended of area parades.
				This year saw a striking difference. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing people indoors and prompting cancellation of numerous crowd-gathering events, the problem wasn&rsquo;t getting a big enough showing at Memorial Day commemorations, it was getting a ceremony at all.
				Yet as shown in the pages of Tuesday&rsquo;s paper, determination to mark Memorial Day and all it represents could not be fully shut in.
				The annual picnic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center may have been canceled, but the District 12 American Legion didn&rsquo;t surrender, arranging instead a parking lot concert with balloons and flags. The veterans inside got to watch from their windows, the band Franklin House move periodically around the building to reach more people in the facility.
				&ldquo;To all our comrades inside,&rdquo;District 12 canteen fund manager Nicole Guest said, &ldquo;we love you and we can&rsquo;t wait to e back in there with you.&rdquo;
				Here&rsquo;s hoping that can happen safely soon.
				Kingston staged a ceremony, as reporter Bill O&rsquo;Boyle explained, with people in the small crowd upholding tradition by waiving American flags, and upholding safety protocols by wearing face masks. Wyoming and West Wyoming joined to hold one as well, with members of the Wyoming VFW Post 396 providing a 21-gun salute, captured by the images of correspondent Tony Callaio. 
				But Harveys Lake may have best embodied the determination to honor the day by staging what almost amounted to a spontaneous, flash-mob car caravan. With only days to pull it together, the Harveys Lake American Legion got more than enough people to join in their first Memorial Day Parade.
				Reporter Kevin Carroll noted that even after the parade started and riders began ta lap around the lake, a second wave of vehicles showed up and did the same.
				&ldquo;I think we put a lot of smiles on everyone&rsquo;s faces,&rdquo; said Kathleen Bardi, which seems a bit of an understatement when looking at the photos. &ldquo;Everyone could use that, with all the craziness going on.&rdquo;
				Memorial day, by its nature, has a solemn component: The playing of taps, the laying of wreaths, the moments of silence, the visits to graves. But as General Patton said, it is not really about deaths, but about what those in military service died to protect and preserve.
				Seeing that spirit shine through the pandemic on Monday should hearten us all, and remind us that we honor the fallen by living well and caring for everyone they protected.
				&ldquo;&#8230; If words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice.&rdquo; &mdash; Ronald Reagan
				&ldquo;Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.&rdquo; &mdash; Jennifer M. Granholm
				 &mdash; Times Leader

Our View: The spirit of Memorial Day outshined pandemic’s darkness