It’s a vision that’s hard to forget and one worth remembering: Hundreds of volunteers, kneeling in front of white headstones and installing small American flags at the final resting place of veterans.
By the end of their work on May 23, more than 17,000 flags dotted the grounds at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, painting a Memorial Day weekend picture of respect and gratitude that easily lands Photo of the Week honors.
Early that day, people of all ages showed up with screwdrivers, hammers and rulers in hand, ready to install the flags according to specifications laid out in advance. Volunteers, from veterans to Scouts to families, were also expected to show up in force on May 30 to retrieve the flags.
One simple yet moving scene from the “Flags for Fallen Veterans” mission, which drew people of all ages and backgrounds that Saturday before Memorial Day, stuck with FLORIDA TODAY senior photographer Malcolm Denemark.
As Allysa Mijares kneeled in front of a line of headstones, a screwdriver in one hand and flags in the other, the “honor and respect of the moment” stood out, he said.
“There was just something clean, simple and moving about a woman placing flags in that row of graves,” Denemark said.
Moving. Inspirational. And wonderful.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Small U.S. flags pay big respect to veterans in Photo of the Week
Reporting by Britt Kennerly, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
