{"id":1157,"date":"2014-05-21T09:26:40","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T13:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=1157"},"modified":"2024-06-13T16:10:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T20:10:39","slug":"memorial-day-time-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Day, a time for flags"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flags<\/a>
Flags mark gravesites<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This weekend, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, military personnel will place more than 275,000 flags in front of grave markers. The ceremony, known as \u201cflags in,\u201d will be imitated throughout the United States.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Memorial Day, May 26 this year, is a chance to remember lost veterans, especially those who died in combat, as well as deceased members of families. The occasion, originally called Decoration Day, is a time for placing flowers and flags at gravesites.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Photo of first Decoration Day at Arlington Cemetery, 1868<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The observance was initiated in 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, \u201cthe<\/span> first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery,\u201d located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. \u201cThe ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion,\u201d the VA notes. Ironically, it was \u201conce the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Presiding over the first service was General Ulysses S. Grant, who would be elected president later in 1868. Congressman James Garfield, who would also become president, gave the main address and said of the dead: \u201c<\/span><\/span>We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
An 1870 illustration of Decoration Day from Harper’s Weekly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the speeches, according to the VA, \u201cchildren from the Soldiers\u2019 and Sailors\u2019 Orphan Home\u2026made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, a small U.S. flag<\/a> was speared into the ground near each grave, an act repeated in cemeteries around the nation. In its<\/span><\/span> preview article about the first Decoration Day, The Daily Citizen and News in Lowell, Massachusetts, described how \u201can arch of evergreen will be erected over the enclosure of the monument\u201d to fallen soldiers and sailors. \u201cA miniature flag is to be placed on each grave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"President<\/a>
President Theodore Roosevelt, surrounded by flags, reviews a Memorial Day parade in 1907<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A year later, The Providence (Rhode Island) Evening Press outlined plans for that city\u2019s honoring of its \u201cfallen heroes,\u201d a term that is still in use. \u201cEach grave,\u201d the article explained, \u201cwill be designated by a small American flag [so] that the last resting place of no hero\u2026may be passed by unheeded.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That tradition of placing flags on gravesites continues, meaning that Memorial Day remains true to its origin as a day of remembrance \u2013 and flags.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, military personnel will place more than 275,000 flags in front of grave markers. The ceremony, known as \u201cflags in,\u201d will be imitated throughout the United States.   Memorial Day, May 26 this year, is a chance to remember lost veterans, especially those who died in combat, as… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[28,45,195],"class_list":["post-1157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-american-flags","tag-memorial-day","tag-soldiers-graves"],"yoast_head":"\nMemorial Day, a time for flags - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Memorial Day, a time for flags - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This weekend, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, military personnel will place more than 275,000 flags in front of grave markers. The ceremony, known as \u201cflags in,\u201d will be imitated throughout the United States.   Memorial Day, May 26 this year, is a chance to remember lost veterans, especially those who died in combat, as... continue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-05-21T13:26:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-13T20:10:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Flags-mark-gravesites-300x225.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/\",\"name\":\"Memorial Day, a time for flags - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Flags-mark-gravesites-300x225.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-05-21T13:26:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-13T20:10:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Flags-mark-gravesites.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Flags-mark-gravesites.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Flags mark gravesites\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/memorial-day-time-flags\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Memorial Day, a time for flags\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a\",\"name\":\"James Breig\",\"description\":\"James Breig is a veteran author who specializes in history. 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