Volunteers Place Thousands Of American Flags On Graves To Honor Veterans

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Around 1,000 volunteers will place miniature American flags alongside the graves of service men and women as part of a Memorial Day weekend tribute.

Cypress-based Honoring Our Fallen held its annual "Flag for Every Hero" ceremony at 8:00 a.m. Saturday at Riverside National Cemetery.

Families, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, police Explorer troops and anyone else who wanted to participate walked the grounds, placing flags adjacent to each plot.

The flag walk will talk about three hours to complete, according to organizers.

"They're special people, because they helped our country," 9-year-old Raul Hernandez said.

"You should always respect them and pray for them and make sure their souls rest in peace," he added.

On Tuesday, volunteers will work to retrieve the flags from the cemetery.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors provided funding in 2013 to help purchase the flags, which cost around 60 cents each.

The 900-acre national cemetery is the fourth-largest of its kind in the nation.

(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)