GALLERY: Arlington National Cemetery Preps for Memorial Day

Each year before Memorial Day, the soldiers of the Old Guard place thousands of flags on gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery. The annual "flags in" ceremony honors each headstone with an American flag, the same national symbol that covers a

And they're not even the most famous people in the cemetery. Memorial Day brings large crowds to Arlington National Cemetery, where the president annually talks of the sacrifice by soldiers buried on the grounds of Gen. Robert E. Lee's former home.

Many tombstones in the Oak Hill Cemetery carry a crest or shield on them showing that they have a Civil War connection. Jim Peters, author of “Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes,” will be signing copies of his book at 7 pm June 11

Approximately 220000 American flags will be placed on every headstone in the cemetery before Memorial Day. By Lauren Sausser Two soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry Regiment worked their way along a row of grave sites in Arlington National Cemetery on

According to the US Census Bureau, the first official observance was on May 28, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union & Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. By the 20th century, the holiday