Christmas Eve road march gives distant veterans a distanced greeting

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - SFC Arthur Coon started with around six friends in 2003, marching through Glens Falls to acknowledge U.S. soldiers out on active duty during Christmas. Last year, he had 3,000. This year, he's down to around a dozen, but with many more doing their part.

To stay COVID-19-safe, the 17th Christmas Eve Road March was limited to only a few people, starting on Ft. Amherst Street. But Coon has asked the thousands who march every year to march on their own, and share photos and video of their own marches on the annual walk's Facebook page.

The pandemic isn't the only obstacle to get in the Coon family's path this year. SFC Coon had a stroke in May, and can't walk as far as he could before. The march circled from Ft. Amherst Street to Garrison Road and back, and was greeted along the way by firefighters and law enforcement.