People stand and listen during a Memorial Day ceremony at Olney Cemetery in Pendleton on Monday morning.

PENDLETON — Judith Burger, the incoming commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 922, promised a “brief” and “intimate” Memorial Day ceremony at Pendleton’s Olney Cemetery and she delivered on her vow.

Acknowledging the reality of trying to conduct a ceremony commemorating deceased soldiers and veterans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VFW truncated the event to about 15 minutes, including a brief tribute ride through the cemetery from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association.

Instead of being seated in tightly packed rows around a podium in an empty part of the cemetery, an audience of about 50 people spread out around an engraved stone honoring veterans as Pendleton Parks and Recreation streamed the ceremony online.

But despite the altered format, some things remained the same — the playing of “Taps,” a VFW color guard and the placement of American flags across the cemetery grounds.

“This year has been a challenge, but nevertheless, we are here honoring,” Burger told the crowd.

Burger read from Grand Army of the Republic General Order No. 11, a statement from an 1868 Union Army veterans group that became the basis for Memorial Day, reminding listeners “the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

Following prayers and VFW officers and representatives laying down flowers at the stone, the VFW ended the ceremony with a rumble as the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association rode through the cemetery.

Burger said she was nervous going into the day because it was her first time coordinating the ceremony in Pendleton.

Burger had plenty of experience, having served in leadership capacities in Redmond and at the state level, but this was her first time leading the Memorial Day event in Pendleton.

Despite her nerves, VFW Commander Gary Ward gave the ceremony a positive review, saying he liked the new format.

Ward has organized Memorial Day ceremonies in the past, but a recent brain aneurysm didn’t allow him to be as involved this year. The duties were passed onto Burger, who will assume command of the VFW post in June.

The smattering of masks in the audience was a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic was still ongoing, and veterans were not immune to the virus. According to a May 19 report from KEZI, eight people at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon have died from COVID-19 after the virus spread through the facility.

Burger said what worried her about the virus is its impact on the rate of suicides, an affliction that is known to affect veterans.

At a time when the government is encouraging people to socially isolate, Burger said she’s focused on how to tend to the mental health of veterans while still keeping them physically healthy.