BOSTON – Every year on Memorial Day, thousands of American flags are planted on Boston Common to honor Massachusetts service members who died serving their country.
“The fact that we have a military that puts their lives on the line for our freedom makes me emotional,” said Robert Santos-Alborna, a Boston resident and soldier. He has two sons in the military.
“One graduated from Annapolis, the other graduated from West Point,” Santos-Alborna said. “My children risk their lives for the freedom we enjoy.”
37,000 flags represent fallen Massachusetts soldiers
The flags planted in the park are a sight to behold for locals and visitors spending time in the city. Volunteers planted 37,000 American flags, each representing a Massachusetts soldier who died serving their country, dating back to the Revolutionary War.
“You’re really visually struck by that tribute to those who served our country,” said Michael Allard, the Chief Operating Officer of Homebase, an organization that provides resources and support to military families who have lost loved ones. “One of the concerns that many of our veterans and our families really worry about is that the sacrifices they have made over the years will be forgotten and this wonderful tribute is part of a larger sentiment that they are not forget.”
‘We must never forget them’
Six hundred volunteers take care of it, planting a sea of red, white and blue in the heart of Boston.
“Massachusetts is where it all began, from the Revolutionary War to today, it’s where it all began,” said Lisa McPhee, a member of the Massachusetts American Legion, who helped plant the flags while recalling her own service as computer analyst in American state television. Leger and her family. “I come from a long history of people who served in the military. It started with my grandfather, my father and uncles. Memorial Day is truly for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and we should never forget them.”
