Soldiers at Arlington Cemetery wear face masks and mourners observe social distancing at 'modified' military funerals

DailyMail online ^ | 16 April 2020 | Sophi Tanno

[Albion Wilde]

Soldiers are holding modified funeral honors at Arlington National Cemetery so they can continue to honor war heroes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Guards were seen wearing masks during a military funeral for Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Belch at the cemetery in Virginia on Tuesday. Mourners observed social distancing at the service.

US Army soldiers assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Old Guard or 3rd US Infantry Regiment were responsible for the rendering of honors at the funeral...

[Albion Wilde]

Article features large, memorable photos that can't be posted here because they are all from Getty. Please do not repost them, but do enjoy them and say a prayer of thanks for our brave troops, living or dead.

[rey]

They should wear MOPP suits.

[Albion Wilde]

BIGLY TRUMP ping!

[ClearCase_guy]

One soldier is covering his mouth but not his nose. Sigh.

[trebb]

Take a closer look - it covers the nostrils.

[PeteB570]

Sure looks like his nostrils are peaking out.

Might have slipped and been readjusted. All the other photos appear proper.

[RummyChick]

there is one pic that has a soldier with a mask not cover his nose properly but it could have slipped

one of the mourners isnt wearing it correctly but that could be because it was fogging up his glasses. i have had the problem.

[njslim]

Have a funeral this Saturday for Firefighter who died of virus

Because of restrictions will line up our fir apparatus at funeral home and follow the hearse to cemetery where will
line up and render final honors to our brother

[trebb]

Same here - the few times I’ve worn a mask, I also kept my sunglasses on to protect my eyes...fogged them p at every exhalation.

[wbarmy]

I really liked that coffin, I think it was hand made with the seals put on the corners. I wonder if the son did it himself or contracted out?

[al baby]

take a couple of bandages and tape the top down simple

[trebb]

That would work - but I'm not gonna freak because a few folks have been spotted not wearing their masks properly...most spray from an infected person will come from the mouth and i doubt any of them were infected and/or coughing and sneezing...

Still a medical fact that masks have a lot less efficacy in protecting a well person from sick people w/o masks than they have in protecting others, with or without masks, when worn by a sick person.

[Albion Wilde]

Sorry for your loss, njslim. Kudos to you and all first responders, especially during this crisis.

[Albion Wilde]

Is it possible that it slipped, and rather than break formation during a solemn occasion, he just let it stay?

[ClearCase_guy]

A fair point. I wasn’t trying to give the soldier a hard time. Just making an observation because I do see a lot of photos of people who really don’t know how to wear a mask..

[Albion Wilde]

I really liked that coffin, I think it was hand made with the seals put on the corners.

Indeed, it does look handmade, and very well done. RIP to the deceased, and condolences to the family.

[Aggie65]

Our VFW Honor Guard has only had one request this month and we only performed the bugle and flag folding and presentation to keep most our Honor Guard safe. The Houston National VA Cemetery is not performing any honors until this is lifted.

[Spktyr]

And risk passing out from heatstroke, not to mention putting time on MOPP gear that they may need later? Er, no. Even the Feds have limits on the amount of filters and gear they have available.

[Pelham]

I used to see lots of those Arlington funerals. Horse drawn caisson, the whole shot. The parking lot of the Fort Myer dispensary was right next to their assembly area.

[higgmeister]

Did anyone else notice the General Officers standing by the lane?   Rest easy Sgt. Major

CSM Robert M. "Bob" Belch, Sr., 97, Decorated WWII Veteran