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'Flags-In' Ceremony Sets Stage for Memorial Day

CBN

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The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment is responsible for carrying out that tradition of "Flags-In" each year at Arlington National Cemetery. It is a task that is physically taxing but shows the importance of honoring fallen soldiers. 

It began in 1948 and the 68-year-old tradition still stands to serves a reminder of what soldiers have sacrificed in order for America to remain a free country. 

In 90-degree weather the group of 1,000 plus soldiers,"The Old Guard," placed all 230,000 American flags on the graves of every fallen soldier at the national cemetery.

"Flags-In is about the soldiers of the present honoring and paying homage to the soldiers from the past who laid the foundation and the framework for us to be here today and do our jobs," Staff Sergeant Sean Hackshaw told WTOP

In the time span of four hours soldiers must center all the  flags exactly one foot from the grave stone and they also place 7,000 additional flags  in the cemetery's Columbarium Courts and the Niche Wall, reads Arlington National Cemetery website.

It is a task that must be completed with precision and uniformity. 

"If it's not done correctly, they will redo it until it's done to standard," Hackshaw said.

Hackshaw adds that is really important to remember the reason we take time to celebrate Memorial Day.

"While it's always fun to have three or four days off after a hard week's work, just really think about the soldiers...who laid this frame for us today to be a country...and to have the things that we have today," he said.

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