Yesterday, in the early morning dawn, soldiers assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” marched into the only two national cemeteries managed by the Army, their rucksacks packed with small American flags.
Their mission: to honor America’s fallen heroes by placing a flag in front of each headstone and columbarium column — approximately 250,000 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and 13,500 at the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington.
This tradition, known as “Flags In,” takes place annually at both cemeteries on the Thursday before Memorial Day.
As the soldiers fanned out through Arlington National Cemetery’s 639 acres, they placed a booted toe against each headstone and columbarium column before inserting a flag into the ground at their heel, creating a uniform distance for each flag.
“Getting this right is important,” said Army Master Sgt. Jeb Hague, as he turned back to a flag and adjusted it slightly. Hague, who has served in the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps since 2006, has placed flags in nearly every section of the cemetery. “When I do this, I learn a little bit more each year,” he said, adding that different sections have different meanings.
The Old Guard has been placing flags in front of headstones since 1948, when it was first designated as the Army’s official ceremonial unit. Every available soldier in the regiment participates. At Arlington National Cemetery, where service members from the Revolutionary War through today’s conflicts are laid to rest, “Flags In” connects today’s soldiers to generations of military service and sacrifice — spanning 250 years of American history.
For many Old Guard soldiers, “Flags In” is also a deeply personal mission.
Hague is among those with friends and family members laid to rest in Arlington. His great-uncle, Alvin J. Buchanan Jr., who served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War, is buried in Section 66. His friend Army Staff Sgt. Adam Dickmyer, a fellow Old Guard soldier who served as a tomb guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010 and is buried in Section 60.
“Memorial Day is so special and solemn,” Hague said. “But for me, [Flags In] is much more personal. “In the early morning quiet, before the cemetery opens to the public, soldiers can reflect on those who have lost their lives to defend our nation. I make sure to take a few seconds to read the name and remember them,” Hague said.
Later in the day, the tomb guards, also members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, placed flags at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the three unknowns buried there, along with all unidentified and missing American service members.
Meanwhile, at the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery, veterans residing in the Armed Forces Retirement Home joined uniformed Old Guard soldiers in placing flags.
By the afternoon, American flags waved across the iconic landscapes of both cemeteries.
During Memorial Day weekend, visitors and family members will see the results of the soldiers’ meaningful mission — one of the many ways the U.S. military ensures that its fallen are never forgotten. For the Old Guard, the day represents, in Hague’s words, “a chance to give back” by commemorating all who served and sacrificed throughout the nation’s 250-year history.
– Via US Army
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