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Marking Veterans Day With 'Operation Flags For Vets'

Published Nov. 11, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. CST

American flags mark veterans’ graves across the country on this Veterans Day. There are more than 50,000 on the graves at the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Cape Cod.

Hundreds of volunteers came to place them on Saturday. It’s a project called Operation Flags For Vets, which was started by Paul Monti, after his son Jared was killed in Afghanistan in 2006 and was buried there.

Here & Now‘s Alex Ashlock has been following this story for several years and went to the cemetery again on Saturday. He brought back this report.

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Trisha Monti handing out flags to the Cub Scouts who volunteered for Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer)
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Trisha Monti handing out flags to the Cub Scouts who volunteered for Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer)

Paul Monti, founder of Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)
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Paul Monti, founder of Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)

Flags placed near the graves of veterans buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)
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Flags placed near the graves of veterans buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)

Jared Monti's grave. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)
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Jared Monti's grave. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)

Veterans and others on the road to the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Cape Cod for Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)
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Veterans and others on the road to the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Cape Cod for Operation Flags For Vets. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)

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A Cub Scout looks on during the Operation Flags For Vets opening ceremony. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)
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A Cub Scout looks on during the Operation Flags For Vets opening ceremony. (Greta Kaemmer/Flickr)

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