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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Kelly Loeffler is urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow small groups to participate in the placement of American flags at national cemeteries for Memorial Day, after the department issued a recent order to prohibit the traditional observances amid the coronavirus crisis.
In a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News, Loeffler, R-Ga., urged VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and the undersecretary for Memorial Affairs, Randy Reeves, to amend the recent decision and allow small groups of volunteers to take part in the tradition -- provided they abide by social distancing guidelines.
“Americans from every community across the nation come together on Memorial Day to honor those who gave their lives in service to their country. America’s fallen heroes fought and died to protect our way of life, and it’s only right that their friends, families, and communities wish to respect that sacrifice by visiting their final resting place,” Loeffler, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, wrote.
“Despite the ongoing outbreak of novel coronavirus, this year will be no exception,” she added.
Loeffler wrote that she understands “the need to limit large gatherings in order to abide by social distancing measures” recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but said that she believes “the process of placing flags on gravesites can be accomplished while still adhering to CDC, state, and local safety guidelines.”
“Therefore, I ask that you consider allowing small groups of volunteers to continue to participate in this longstanding annual tradition,” she wrote.
Loeffler noted that in Georgia at the Marietta National Cemetery and the Georgia National Cemetery, “local volunteers place tens of thousands of American flags on each grave.”
“This coordinated display of patriotism comes together with hours of planning and preparation, designed to bring comfort to those whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice,” Loeffler wrote. “If small groups of volunteers are able to abide by necessary safety restrictions, I believe their work to honor our service men and women should continue as planned on Memorial Day.”
According to Loeffler’s office, Georgia is home to over 700,000 veterans and is well-known for its Memorial Day celebrations. Loeffler’s office told Fox News that organizations, like the National Memorial Day Association of Georgia, were forced to cancel their events, and other Georgia residents reached out to the senator’s office to share their disappointment in the VA’s decision.
Loeffler’s letter comes after the VA announced that public events typically associated with Memorial Day at national cemeteries, including the group placement of flags at gravesites, would not take place. The VA did say, however, that all national cemeteries would be open Memorial Day weekend “from dawn to dusk for public visitation.”
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“This year, by necessity, will be different from past Memorial Day observances,” Wilkie said in a statement last week, while announcing that the VA would commemorate Memorial Day this year with “solemn wreath laying ceremonies.”
Each VA national cemetery will conduct a brief wreath-laying ceremony, accompanied by a moment of silence and the playing of Taps. In keeping with CDC guidelines to limit large gatherings, the ceremonies will not be open to the public.
“While the department can’t hold large public ceremonies, VA will still honor Veterans and service members with the solemn dignity and respect they have earned through their service and sacrifice,” Wilkie said last week.
Loeffler is currently locked in a competitive election for her Georgia Senate seat, in a race that includes GOP Rep. Doug Collins -- whose campaign recently has sought to draw attention to reports about stock sales Loeffler and her husband made before the coronavirus crisis exploded. Loeffler has denied wrongdoing, insisting they are not personally involved in those transactions, and has since moved to liquidate individual stock holdings.
It is unclear, at this point, whether the VA could amend their decision and allow small groups to participate in laying flags at gravesites on Memorial Day next week, after Loeffler's letter.
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The VA did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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