During this pandemic, we remember and honor our fallen servicemembers

Photo by Pam Lane, DowneyDailyPhotos.com

This year, we will observe a Memorial Day unlike any we have ever seen in our lifetime.  A day traditionally filled with public remembrances and parades will be forced to take a very different form in this time of isolation and social distancing.  On Monday, unfortunately, most of us will have to observe Memorial Day in private.  

Our thoughts and prayers, however, will be the same as ever.  We will remember, honor, and mourn America's fallen servicemembers and their families; and we will reflect on the profound debt we owe to them for their sacrifice.

As an American, your congresswoman, and the daughter, wife, and stepmother of veterans, every day I am reminded of and grateful for the servicemembers who gave their lives to defend and protect us.  But this year, as Memorial Day approaches, I have felt that gratitude even more profoundly than usual.

In times of crisis like now, when our nation is devastated by tragedy and loss, I am especially thankful for the fallen heroes who have defended us in times of peril and darkness.  They wore the uniform of our nation and faced unimaginable dangers to assure our defense.  They faced that peril willingly, and often knowingly, at the potential cost of their own lives.  Due to their brave and noble sacrifice, America has overcome such darkness for more than two centuries and has become the greatest nation in the world.

Yet, we are once again facing one of the most difficult challenges in our nation’s history.  Tragically, we have already lost tens of thousands of our fellow Americans to the invisible enemy we call COVID-19.  Many more are in pain and suffer from COVID’s impact – including those who have lost loved ones; those who have seen their wages cut; those who have lost their jobs; and those who have suffered physical and mental illness.

Now, more than ever, it is the responsibility of all of us to carry our brave fallen servicemembers’ torch of patriotism, to protect our country against the enemy we now face.  Each of us has the power and responsibility to help our country survive this crisis.  We can contribute to our victory over this virus by making sensible decisions to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors.

Our victory over the coronavirus will require us to follow the examples of our fallen heroes, and of those serving today, through their leadership qualities of resilience, selflessness, and courage.

We demonstrate resilience when we patiently follow health and safety policies designed by health experts to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  I know how hard it is to isolate oneself, and to be separated from family and friends.  But these policies will help to save lives, and are the best chances we have to prevent infecting others and ourselves with COVID-19.

We can demonstrate selflessness when we put the needs of others before our own.  That means, as annoying as it is, wearing a mask and practicing social distancing when we are outside.  It means taking time to look after friends and family by staying in touch through phone calls, video chats, letters, texts, and emails.  It means looking out for our neighbors, including seniors and other high-risk individuals, who may need our help getting the necessities of life, including social contact at a distance of six feet or more.

And during our darkest moments, we can demonstrate courage when we ask for help.  If you have lost your job, need support to care for your family, experience issues affecting your mental health, or are facing domestic violence, please know resources are available which may help.  I invite you to visit my website at roybal-allard.house.gov/coronavirus to see some of the services available to you, your family, and friends.

The virtues of the heroes we honor this Memorial Day have rarely been more relevant, or more necessary, than they are for us today.  If we unite in showing resilience, selflessness, and courage against COVID-19, we will prevail – and we will indeed honor and reaffirm the high standards our fallen heroes set when they sacrificed all for our great country.  May God bless you, your family, and the United States of America.

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard represents California’s 40th District, which contains the communities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, Maywood, Paramount, Vernon, and parts of Bellflower, East Los Angeles, Florence-Firestone, and South Los Angeles.