FORT BLISS, Texas -- It's a tradition that began in another time, and another military conflict.
Since the late 1960s, every Memorial Day weekend the staff of the Fort Bliss National Cemetery and hundreds of local volunteers have placed a miniature American flag in front of every tombstone in the cemetery.
Today, that's 52,000 tombstones, covering 82 acres. But, with the help of about 1,000 volunteers, including 28 Soldiers and Family members of 2nd Battalion, 363rd Regiment, Task Force Black Scorpion, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, the placing of the flags Saturday morning took only about two hours.
This was the first year Task Force Black Scorpion participated in the tradition.
"Being out here makes things somewhat more tangible," said Sgt. Joseph Spencer, a combat medic and combat lifesaver instructor with Task Force Black Scorpion. "As my son, Matthew, and I walked from one tombstone to another, we stopped to read the tombstone before we placed down the flag."
The event began in front of the burial plot of Lt. Col. William Bliss, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and the namesake of Fort Bliss. First, volunteers were briefed on the proper placement of the flags and the importance of safety. Then, with flags in hand, Soldiers from Task Force Black Scorpion walked to the southwest corner of the cemetery and began placing flags in front of the tombstones.
For Spencer and his 10-year-old son, the flag placement ceremony allowed them to put into perspective the sacrifices and service of all those who have put on an American military uniform.
"You know the meaning of Memorial Day," said Spencer, "to honor and remember your brothers- and sisters-in-arms. But, being out here, and seeing the endless rows of tombstones, it allows a person to see it. To really know it."
Other Soldiers and their Family members also felt the solemnity of the occasion.
"Even though my daughter Reed is only six years old, she gets it," said Staff Sgt. Justin Lindley, a Task Force Black Scorpion instructor for driver's training. "As we look at the different ranges of dates on the tombstones, it is sad to think of all the wars this country has fought."
"There are a lot of graves," said Reed Lindley.
Throughout the ceremony, the Soldiers and Family members of Task Force Black Scorpion paid homage in their own ways to all those who have come before them.
"Being out here and doing this feels right," said Sgt. 1st Class Scott Maltman, a Task Force Black Scorpion small arms team leader. "There is nowhere else I would rather be than here doing this."
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