Today, amidst heat and humidity and flying insects, some 1500+ soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment joined forces at Arlington National Cemetery for a mission of utmost importance:
to place an American flag on each and every grave site, leaving no soldier forgotten.
Regardless of rank or length of service or duty station, each soldier buried at Arlington is remembered and honored on Memorial Day for Duty, Honor, Country.
Begun in 1948, the Flags In ceremony traditionally marks the beginning of Memorial Day activities at Arlington and in the Washington, DC area.
The 3rd Infantry Regiment, fondly know as the "Old Guard", was designated as the Army's official ceremonial unit in 1948. That same year, non-commissioned officers began the practice of placing flags at each grave site on Memorial Day.
Old Guard members also guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, escort deceased service members to their final resting place at Arlington and serve in regular billets around the world.
Still lead and coordinated by 3rd Regiment NCO's, the soldiers were joined today by representatives from the Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marine honor guard units.
Command Sergeant Major David Martel noted that it would take his soldiers about 3 hours to place over 250,000 flags.
With due reverence, each flag is centered approximately 12 inches in front of the grave. Because soldiers use their individual foot gear as a measure, a single service member begins and completes one row in a section to insure uniformity.
The flags will stay in place through Monday, May 31th but will be removed before the cemetery opens on Tuesday, June 1.
I am proud to have served as a member of the Old Guard and proud that my father's grave bears one of those flags. Ten-hut!
Michael
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