U.S. Flag Display on Boston Common Honors Fallen Service Personnel for Memorial Day

Volunteers braved chilly temperatures on Wednesday, May 21, to place tens of thousands of U.S. flags around Boston Common's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial. The flag display for Memorial Day honors the memory of fallen U.S. service personnel who called Massachusetts home.

Two organizations, Home Base and the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, have been involved in creating the display of American flags on the Common for the past 16 years.

According to a Boston Herald report, each of the planted flags serves to “represent every brave Massachusetts service member who gave his or her life defending our country since the Revolutionary War.” The groups noted that beginning from the years ahead of our nation's founding to the present, more than 37,000 people from the Bay State gave their lives in service to our country.

“We highly encourage members of our community to visit the flag display on Boston Common throughout the weekend to show Massachusetts Families of the Fallen that their loved ones' ultimate sacrifice is honored and will never be forgotten,” members of the groups wrote.

The flags will remain on display on Boston Common until Tuesday evening, May 27.