Sea of American flags on Boston Common honors fallen servicemembers on Memorial Day

BOSTON - Every year on Memorial Day, thousands of American flags are planted on Boston Common to honor servicemembers from Massachusetts who died serving their country.

"The fact that we have a military putting their lives on the line for our freedom, I get emotional," said Boston resident and military dad Robert Santos-Alborna. He has two sons in the military.

"One is an Annapolis graduate,  the other is a West Point graduate," said Santos-Alborna. "My children put their lives on the line for the freedom that we enjoy."

37,000 flags representing fallen servicemembers from Massachusetts

The flags planted in the park are a sight to see for locals and visitors spending time in the city. Volunteers planted 37,000 of the American flags, each one representing a servicemember from Massachusetts who died serving their country, going back to the Revolutionary War.

"You really, visually, are affected by that tribute to those who served our country," said Michael Allard, the Chief Operating Officer of Homebase, an organization providing resources and support for 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 that they've made over the years will be forgotten and this beautiful tribute is a part of a larger sentiment that they are not forgotten."

"We should never forget them"

Six hundred volunteers make sure of it, planting a sea of red, white and blue in the heart of Boston.

"Massachusetts is where it all began, going from the Revolutionary War all the way up today, it's where it all began," said Massachusetts American Legion member Lisa McPhee, who helped plant the flags while remembering her own service as a computer analyst in the Army and her family. "I come from a long history of people who served in the military. Started with my grandfather, my father, uncles. Memorial Day is really for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and we should never forget them."