DUNMORE, Pa. — The effort in Lackawanna County to honor fallen civil war soldiers was scaled down this year.
But, organizers were determined to keep it going.
One part of Dunmore Cemetery is the final resting place of Union soldiers from the Civil War.
They've been honored there each Memorial Day for more than a century.
But, these times are unprecedented.
So, those plans had to be changed.
"We usually have a very good crowd from the Dunmore area who comes here, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 and the restrictions, we're limited to today's ceremony," said Jerry Skotleski, Commander of the Ezra S. Griffin Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans.
The scaled-back ceremony was led by members of the camp, which are made up of descendants of Union soldiers.
"Today's ceremony is called the silent sentinel, the silent sentinel goes back to 1867 where the civil war soldiers were buried," Skotleski added.
They carried out an even older tradition, standing silently in front of four soldiers' graves.
"We're going to stand for an hour in honor of them," he said.
There's usually a marching band and a list of speakers, people standing shoulder to shoulder.
The organizers say, though, there's something even more powerful about spreading apart and standing in silence.
"I've been a member of this camp since 2005, and this is one of the most emotional days that we have. To say I'm proud would be an understatement and to be here and for the members of this camp to give me the honor to do this, I can't resist this, I've been looking forward to this process," Skotleski added.