Volunteers Invited to Participate in Memorial Day Flag Placement at Bay Pines National Cemetery

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Bay Pines National Cemetery invite volunteers to place approximately 25,000 small flags on individual gravesites on May 29 at 9 a.m. at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., Bay Pines, FL, 33744.

Provided by Flags for Fallen Vets (FFFV), the flags will be on display through Memorial Day. Visitors may place flags on gravesites at any time, but for this particular event, volunteers must register with FFFV to obtain the flags.

“It is important that the flags are treated with dignity and respect, and are properly placed,” said Douglas Maddox, director of the Bay Pines National Cemetery. “In an effort to honor our fallen comrades, the flags must be placed on gravesites in a uniform manner and the FFFV team leaders will be on hand to guide volunteers through that process.” 

The flags will be removed from the cemetery the weekend after Memorial Day on, June 4 beginning at 9 a.m. Volunteers who place the flags are also encouraged to assist with the removal of them. Parking will be available in the Bay Pines VA hospital parking area behind the Bay Pines National Cemetery. The roundabout area near the main entrance will be the staging point for the placement and removal of flags.

“We invite anyone who wishes to help prepare the cemetery for Memorial Day, and pay their respects to our nation’s heroes, to join us for this annual event,” Maddox said.  

To register as a volunteer, click here. If you would like to volunteer with a group of 10 or more people, please call Doug Gardner, executive vice president for the Florida branch of FFFV, at 203-856-8663 to register by phone. For more information about the Bay Pines National Cemetery, call 727-319-6479 or visit https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/baypines.asp.