Flag garden on Boston Common honors fallen Mass. service members

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Tens of thousands of American flags have been planted on Boston Common ahead of Memorial Day as a tribute to each person from Massachusetts who died while serving in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War.

This marks the 14th year that the flag garden has been set up around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in honor of the state's fallen heroes. The annual display returned to its full size in 2021 after being reduced in size in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The pain changes somewhat, but it just never goes away. It's as if someone tore your heart out and it just doesn't come back," said Gold Star mother Margaret Rosher, whose son, Jacob, died in 2005 while serving in the U.S. Navy as a rescue swimmer.

"It's the first thing I do when I wake up is look over and smile at them and say some prayers, and it's the last thing I do every night," said Irene Finneral, whose husband and son both died while serving the United States.

This year's display, which includes 37,369 flags, took about an hour to construct due to the 400 volunteers — including families of U.S. service members — who came to Boston Common to help put it all together.

"It's about remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country," said Christy Coombs, clerk for the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund.

Video below: Ground and aerial views of Boston Common flag display

"The sacrifice our men and women made in this uniform is astronomical," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Buchanan. "We honor them and we want to remember them, and that's what it's all about."

"There's a lot of good still in the world and when you're with people like this, it's the good," Rosher said.

In addition to the flag display, more than a dozen people participated in a running relay from Hyannis to Boston Common — a distance of more than 100 miles — to raise money for Home Base, which works with the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund to help make the Memorial Day flag display possible.