Volunteers placed thousands of American flags across Fort Snelling National Cemetery during Memorial Day weekend.

A nonprofit called “Flags for Fort Snelling” started this tradition in 2015 and has been building momentum ever since.

Flags have decorated each of the more than 180,000 headstones since 2018, except during the pandemic in 2020.

The tradition honors and mourns U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Volunteers say they want the flags to show that fallen military heroes have not been forgotten.

“We do it because we have a lot of military in our family and a deep respect for those in the military,” said volunteer Laurie Larson. “It’s to honor those who have who have been a part of the military so that we are free to do what we like as a country.”

The flags are set to stay for about a week, weather permitting.

Afterward, volunteers will return to take out the flags and store them again until next Memorial Day.