The Nation, And A Father, Honor The War Dead

President Barack Obama marked this Memorial Day by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. People are visiting the graves of their loved ones killed in action at cemeteries across the country today.

Here & Now’s Alex Ashlock went to the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Cape Cod last week, and has this report.

Hundreds of volunteers, some of them veterans of the Vietnam War on their choppers, came to the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Cape Cod Saturday morning.

They were there to place American flags on the more than 60,000 graves.

The event is called Operation Flags For Vets and it was started by Paul Monti, a retired high school teacher, who has a very personal connection to this place.

“This is Memorial Day. This is a solemn day,” Monti said. “Don't go up to a soldier today and say, ‘Hey, thank you for your service.' That's not what it's all about today. It's about those friends and those buddies that he lost in battle in service to the country.”

Paul Monti’s son Jared was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006.

He died trying to rescue a badly wounded fellow soldier, an act that earned him the Medal of Honor, which was awarded posthumously in 2009.

Jared Monti is buried in Section 11 at the Massachusetts National Cemetery.

His dad placed a flag there on Saturday.

Watch Jared Monti’s Medal Of Honor Ceremony

[Youtube]

Reporter

• Alex Ashlock, Here & Now producer. He tweets @aashlock.

Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.