May 28 (UPI) — U.S. military service members placed flags at gravestones Thursday in Arlington National Ceremony in honor of Memorial Day.
Members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the “Old Guard,” placed small U.S. flags in front of more than 228,000 headstones and at the bottom of 7,000 niche rows in the tradition known as “Flags In.”
At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, members of the Old Guard known as Sentinels also placed flags to honor the Unknowns and Army chaplains place flags in front of headstones and memorials located on Chaplains’ Hill.
The Old Guard tweeted Thursday that more than 1,000 service members participated in the event.
Earlier this week the Department of Veterans Affairs lifted COVID-19 restrictions for visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day declaring that no masks, social distancing requirements or limits on the size of groups will be required of vaccinated visitors.
Visitors who are not vaccinated will be required to adhere to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Arlington National Cemetery was closed to the public in 2020 and members of the Old Guard were reduced and required to remain masked during funeral services.
