Why Memorial Day is Celebrated: Its Tangled Roots

Why Memorial Day is Celebrated: Its Tangled Roots

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Arlington, Virginia More than a thousand service members arrived at Arlington National Cemetery in the chilly early morning hours, slung their bags with red, white, and blue items, and started walking along the interminable rows of headstones.

Their goal on Thursday was to launch a weekend of commemoration by placing hundreds of thousands of little American flags at the graves of the nation's fallen soldiers.

 

Army Capt. D.J. Taylor, who was one of those planting flags, said, "It's assuring that our devotion to the nation at this cemetery continues in a bigger sense.

"It's making sure for Memorial Day, we think about those friends that we've lost in combat, their personal stories, and we ensure for their families that we spend this time with reflection, ensuring that their sacrifice matters here," he said.

 

Taylor is the company commander of the regimental headquarters for the 3rd Infantry Regiment, also referred to as the Old Guard and the Army's official ceremonial unit. This yearly "flags-in" event, which Thursday planted more than 267,000 American flags, is one of its responsibilities.

Up to 30,000 flags were intended to be planted in four hours by Taylor's company.

Some soldiers proceeded in formations, removing flags from their bags and putting them precisely one boot length from each gravestone. As supplies dwindled, soldiers refilled one other's backpacks.

Other soldiers worked by themselves, moving slowly through the rows and stopping briefly at each one.

Taylor will have a flag placed on his great-uncle's gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery as part of the event.

Taylor stated, "I think it's pretty special to make sure that you know, in a very small way his grave is taken care of for my family, personally." It's important.

Knowing that one day a flag would be flown at his gravestone, Taylor said the ritual is a way for him to give back.

In a very modest manner, he continued, "It's the ability to express gratitude to, ultimately, a member of someone's family."

Old Guard Staff Sgt. Robin Barnhill returned to the flags-in ceremony on Thursday for the second year to honor and thank the dead warriors interred there. One of the duties of the Old Guard is the ceremony, a responsibility that the North Carolina native does not take lightly

"With Memorial Day quickly approaching, I know a lot of people they just enjoy the long weekend, extra day off, or whatever," Barnhill said. "I think it's crucial to keep in mind that this wasn't granted, so always have that in the back of your mind. Everyone who is interred in the Arlington National Cemetery did so because they deserved it.