Fallen Heroes Remembered: Soldiers place flags at every grave in Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day

The annual Flags-In ceremony is one of the military’s most solemn traditions honoring fallen service members. Soldiers from The Old Guard gathered at Arlington National Cemetery this week for the annual Flags-In ceremony

Rows of American flags transformed Arlington National Cemetery into a powerful display of remembrance ahead of Memorial Day. Visitors paused in silence as soldiers moved through the cemetery placing flags one by one.

The ceremony honored the sacrifice of fallen U.S. military personnel.
Photos captured quiet and emotional moments shared by visitors, veterans and service members alike.

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 ANC, 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

Families place flowers at cemeteries across the country. Flags fly at half-staff at US embassies around the world. And the sound of taps, a 24-note bugle call traditionally played on military bases to signal the end of day and at military funerals to remember the dead, is heard in communities nationwide.