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See the 37,000 flags fly on Boston Common for Memorial Day

An annual tribute to Massachusetts military members was officially installed Thursday on Boston Common.

A sea of 37,000 U.S. flags adorn the Common, one for each of the service members from the Bay State who died in action since the Revolutionary War.

In addition to the flags, there will be a ceremony naming the nearly 400 people killed since 9/11.

Tom Crohan, co-founder and president of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, which organizes the tribute, says he thinks the location of the flags makes the display particularly striking.

"It's impossible to walk by this sea of flags without stopping, pausing, and reflecting," he told WBUR.

The flags will be on display through Monday.

Small flags fly on the Boston Common ahead of Memorial Day. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Small flags fly on the Boston Common ahead of Memorial Day. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Volunteers plant American flags into the ground of the Boston Common for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Volunteers plant American flags into the ground of the Boston Common for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Volunteers Kim Bullock and Monique Carbonneau plant American flags into the ground of the Boston Common for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Volunteers Kim Bullock and Monique Carbonneau plant American flags into the ground of the Boston Common for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)
(Jesse Costa/WBUR)

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Dan Guzman Executive Producer, All Things Considered
Dan Guzman is senior producer for Morning Edition at WBUR.

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