COVID-19 outbreak devastates American veterans
NEW YORK (AP/FOX 5 NY) - The coronavirus has infected 5.4 million people worldwide and killed over 345,000, including nearly 100,000 Americans, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Memorial Day commemorations were canceled or toned down across the United States. American veterans, along with nursing home residents, have made up a significant portion of those who died in the U.S. outbreak.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that more than 1,000 veterans have died from coronavirus-related causes. But that number does not include the many more who died in veterans nursing homes.
Among them was Robert Hopp, 70, who was awarded the Purple Heart after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. Last month, he died of COVID-19 at a veterans' home in Paramus, New Jersey. Because of the pandemic, his family could not be with him.
At separate Memorial Day ceremonies, the governors of New Jersey and New York remembered veterans who survived wars only to die during this pandemic.
With The Associated Press