Veterans Day observances at Punchbowl, Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery canceled due to COVID-19
STAR-ADVERTISER / MAY 24
People made their visits to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
The Governor’s Veterans Day ceremony at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe and the annual observance at Punchbowl cemetery scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
“As a reminder with real world events involving social distancing and limiting the community spread of the COVID-19 virus, the State Department of Defense in conjunction with the state Office of Veterans Services has canceled the Governor’s Veterans Day Ceremony,” officials said in a release.
The state Department of Defense asked to “please take this opportunity to honor veterans in your own way.”
Gene Maestas, a spokesman for the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, said the annual Veterans Day observance organized there by the Oahu Veterans Council also is canceled.
Punchbowl staff will place a wreath Tuesday in honor of veterans and the tribute will be shown on the cemetery’s Facebook page, Maestas said.
He asked that visitors who come out to place flowers on graves adhere to social distancing guidelines.
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Last year, veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam — some walking with canes or in wheelchairs — joined with service members who have followed in their footsteps to honor the timeless virtue of duty to the nation in the armed forces at the Punchbowl ceremony.
More than 650 people attended the ceremony.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said Hawaii’s veteran population was 112,304 as of late 2017, representing 10.43% of the adult population — a higher figure than the 6.6% national average.
