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Soldiers place 230K flags in annual event at Arlington National Cemetery

Lara DeSanto | ldesanto@wtop.com

May 26, 2016, 9:47 PM

Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, prepare to place more than 230,000 flags in front of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery for the annual "Flags-In" ceremony on Thursday, May 26, 2016. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, prepare to place more than 230,000 flags in front of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery for the annual “Flags-In” ceremony on Thursday, May 26, 2016. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Small American flags rest by a tree at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Each year, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, places hundreds of thousands of flags in front of grave markers to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Small American flags rest by a tree at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Each year, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, places hundreds of thousands of flags in front of grave markers to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Soldiers in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, measure the placement of American flags in front of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
A soldier takes a drink of water during the annual "Flags-In" event on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at Arlington National Cemetery. Soldiers spent 4 hours in 90-degree heat placing hundreds of thousands of American flags to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier takes a drink of water during the annual “Flags-In” event on Thursday, May 26, 2016, at Arlington National Cemetery. Soldiers spent four hours in 90-degree heat placing hundreds of thousands of American flags to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
A soldier uses his boot to measure the placement of an American flag in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier uses his boot to measure the placement of an American flag in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Small American flags lie next to a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers spend 4 hours placing flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Small American flags lie next to a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers spend four hours placing flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Soldiers in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment carry flags through Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Soldiers in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment carry flags through Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
A soldier salutes in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers place hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier salutes in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers place hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Members of the Old Guard, placed flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Members of the Old Guard, placed flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
(1/21)
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, prepare to place more than 230,000 flags in front of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery for the annual "Flags-In" ceremony on Thursday, May 26, 2016. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Small American flags rest by a tree at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Each year, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, places hundreds of thousands of flags in front of grave markers to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier takes a drink of water during the annual "Flags-In" event on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at Arlington National Cemetery. Soldiers spent 4 hours in 90-degree heat placing hundreds of thousands of American flags to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier uses his boot to measure the placement of an American flag in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Small American flags lie next to a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers spend 4 hours placing flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Soldiers in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment carry flags through Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, the Old Guard places hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
A soldier salutes in front of a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26, 2016. Before Memorial Day weekend each year, soldiers place hundreds of thousands of flags at the cemetery to honor fallen soldiers. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard prepare to place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard Pvt. Brandon Hyer, left, from Kansas City, Kan., and Pvt. Brad Dixon of Baltimore, Md., place flags in front of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million U.S. flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Members of the Old Guard with the Washington Memorial in the back, place flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Members of the Old Guard, placed flags in front of every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Thursday, May 26, 2016. Soldiers were to place nearly a quarter of a million American flags at the cemetery as part of a Memorial Day tradition. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON — Despite the 90-degree heat and humidity, more than 1,000 soldiers gathered to participate in a 68-year-old tradition Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, spent four hours placing small American flags in front of more than 230,000 grave markers to honor fallen soldiers.

Staff Sergeant Sean Hackshaw, 27, said he was happy to participate in the event, called “Flags-In.”

“Flags-In is about the soldiers of the present honoring and paying homage to the soldiers from the past who laid the foundation and the framework for us to be here today and do our jobs,” Hackshaw said.

Soldiers center the flags one foot in front of each grave marker, according to a news release from the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.

Hackshaw said soldiers use their boots to measure the placement. Because boot size varies from soldier to soldier, he said one person is in charge of an entire row to ensure precise, uniform placement.

“If it’s not done correctly, [the soldier] will redo it until it’s done to standard,” he said.

The tradition began in 1948 when the Old Guard became the Army’s official ceremonial unit, the news release said. The event takes place every year before Memorial Day weekend.

Hackshaw said it is important to remember the real reason behind the long weekend Americans celebrate each year.

“While it’s always fun to have three or four days off after a hard week’s work, just really think about the soldiers […] who laid this frame for us today to be a country […] and to have the things that we have today,” he said.

Rachel Nania contributed to this story.

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