In Memoriam: The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
In my city of Holyoke, Massachusetts, the Soldiers’ Home, a retired veterans nursing home, was our pride, but early in this pandemic 73 of the residents died, creating a huge scandal involving mismanagement and under-reporting.
These old soldiers were caught on the front line. Their sacrifice created a profound moment of awareness among Holyokers. It was then that, in neighborhoods, dozens of discarded gloves and masks began appearing on the ground, and they stayed there until a strong wind blew them away. They were a testimony to selfishness. The gloves seemed to take the form of contorted hand gestures, but very rarely did the fingers settle into a pointing position. The discarded protective gear on the ground triggered in me sadness for the veterans’ deaths. As of today 98 residents of the Soldiers’ Home have passed from Covid 19 I am in the process of completing 98 images as a monument, a reminder not to forget.
