ARLINGTON, Va. – Chaplains and religious affairs specialists from across the National Capital Region gathered May 22 on 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
Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) William Green Jr., the 26th U.S. Army chief of chaplains, 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.
“I don't think that there's a greater tribute that we can give than to take the time to come out and say thank you,” Green said. “It means a lot because of the sacrifice many of these men and women gave.
“Today, as we take this time, may we do what we believe is our sacred duty to honor the fallen,” Green said referring to one of the Chaplain Corps’ three core competencies that also include nurturing the living and caring for the wounded. “May we do that in a manner that honors God, and our comrades who gave their all.”
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, along with some Navy chaplains, placed 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.
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