Chaplain Corps honors the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery during ‘Flags In’

ARLINGTON, Va. – Chaplains and religious affairs specialists from across the National Capital Region gathered May 23 at Chaplains Hill, where they honored the fallen buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, by placing flags at their gravesites ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, in the time-honored tradition known as "Flags In."

Flags In has taken place annually since the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment was designated as the Army's official ceremonial unit in 1948. Every available Soldier in the Old Guard participates, along with members of other service branches. They place small American flags in front of more than 260,000 headstones, as well as at the bottom of 7,000 niche rows in the cemetery's Columbarium Courts and Niche Wall. Each flag is inserted into the ground, exactly one boot length centered on the headstone's base.

Honor the fallen

“One of the greatest things we do in the military is honor our fallen,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Tiann Morgner, the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment chaplain. “Whether it is on the battlefield, or at their final resting place in Arlington, each moment is sacred. Flags In is one of those unique opportunities where we gather in the quiet hours of the morning to honor and remember.”

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) William Horton, deputy command chaplain, Joint Task-Force-National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington, placed the first flag at the headstone of Chaplain (Maj.) Charles Joseph Watters, who served in Vietnam and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his selfless actions on Nov. 19, 1967.

“It’s a special moment for us today to be able to honor the fallen,” said Horton referring to one of the Chaplain Corps’ three core competencies that also include nurturing the living and caring for the wounded. “It's something we do every year to remind us just exactly how important it is to honor those who have served our nation.”

Among those buried on Chaplains Hill in Section 2, are 12 former Army chiefs of chaplains, including the first chief of chaplains Colonel John Axton, a veteran of World War I, and Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) William Arnold, the first chaplain to become a general officer.

Army chaplains and religious affairs specialists place flags in front of the 1,100 headstones and four memorials located on Chaplains Hill in Section 2. The memorials honor the chaplains killed in World War I; Protestant chaplains killed in World Wars I and II; Catholic chaplains killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam; and Jewish chaplains killed while on active duty.

All flags are removed after Memorial Day.