Photo By Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano | A Tomb Sentinel assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) places U.S....... read more read more
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JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. — On a cold and misty Thursday morning at Arlington National Cemetery, nearly 1,500 soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” stepped off at 4 a.m. to continue a tradition of placing American flags on more than 260,000 headstones and niche columns across the grounds.
The annual “Flags In” mission, now in its 77th year, marks the start of Memorial Day weekend and honors the service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives in defense of the nation. In a show of unity and respect, soldiers walked the cemetery’s terrain, planting letter-sized flags exactly one boot length from each marker.
“This is a part of our history here at the Old Guard,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Holmes, public affairs team leader for the Old Guard. “Our soldiers carry on the tradition of placing flags to honor fallen comrades. This is our opportunity to honor those who sacrificed their lives.”
Arlington National Cemetery was originally established as the Arlington Estate by George Washington’s step-grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, intended to be a living tribute to the first president. In 1831, Custis’s daughter Mary married U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert E. Lee, who served as executor of Custis’s estate. When the Civil War erupted, Union forces seized the estate on May 24, 1861, for its strategic high ground overlooking the capital.
The first military burial took place in 1864, when Pvt. William Christman was laid to rest. That same year, the estate was officially designated as a national cemetery. Today, Arlington spans 639 acres and serves as the final resting place for more than 400,000 service members, veterans, and their families.
The “Flags In” tradition began in 1948, the same year the Army named the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment its official ceremonial unit. Since then, every available Old Guard soldier has participated, joined by other branches of the military. Flags are even placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Sentinels from the regiment, while Army chaplains honor Chaplains’ Hill in Section 2.
“For those who gave everything in service to our country, this is our way of showing that they will never be forgotten,” stated Holmes. “And for the soldiers of the Old Guard, it is more than a duty; it’s a sacred honor to carry their memory forward, year after year.”
After Memorial Day, the flags will be respectfully removed before the cemetery opens to the public.
This Sunday, the public will be able to honor the fallen during the fourth annual Flowers of Remembrance Day. Visitors may place a flower at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., a symbolic act that mirrors the original “Decoration Day” observance held at the cemetery in 1868, which later evolved into Memorial Day.
For the Old Guard, “Flags In” is an unbroken tradition of honor, carried out without interruption to ensure each gravesite is respectfully marked, affirming the military’s enduring commitment to remember those who served.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2025 18:25 |
| Story ID: | 498736 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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