Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund (MMHF) stuck 20,000 flags into the soil at Boston Common at the Sailors and Soldiers Monument to commemorate all the Massachusetts men and women who died in battles since World War I.
Family members and dignitaries planted 134 of the flags Thursday morning (May 27) during a name reading for the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past nine years.
On May 26 at 5:00 p.m., over 50 volunteers helped plant the flags one foot apart “for the people who can’t do it themselves, it’s our honor to be able to do this,” said Master Sgt. Roy Aylward to the Boston Herald.
The flags will remain at the Common until 5 p.m. Monday. “We’d like to remind people that Memorial Day was created to pay respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Steve Kerrigan, board president and cofounder of the MMHF in a statement.
The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution, passed in December 2000, asks that on the last Monday in May at 3:00 p.m., local time, people across America take a moment to think about those who have given their lives for our country.
Traditionally, people visited the graves of those who fell in service. They cleaned and decorated the resting places of soldiers with flags and flowers, and honored veterans.
This year marks the 142nd anniversary of Memorial Day. President Barack Obama directed the American flag to be flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels.
Family members and dignitaries planted 134 of the flags Thursday morning (May 27) during a name reading for the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past nine years.
On May 26 at 5:00 p.m., over 50 volunteers helped plant the flags one foot apart “for the people who can’t do it themselves, it’s our honor to be able to do this,” said Master Sgt. Roy Aylward to the Boston Herald.
The flags will remain at the Common until 5 p.m. Monday. “We’d like to remind people that Memorial Day was created to pay respects to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Steve Kerrigan, board president and cofounder of the MMHF in a statement.
The “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution, passed in December 2000, asks that on the last Monday in May at 3:00 p.m., local time, people across America take a moment to think about those who have given their lives for our country.
Traditionally, people visited the graves of those who fell in service. They cleaned and decorated the resting places of soldiers with flags and flowers, and honored veterans.
This year marks the 142nd anniversary of Memorial Day. President Barack Obama directed the American flag to be flown at half-staff on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels.
Friends Read Free