During the tenures of the National Cemetery Directors prior to 2008 at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, the Avenue of Flag display consisted of 175 interment flags that were placed on staffs on either side of the main driveway from the public highway to in front of the Administration Building.

The display was only presented over a two week span of the Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day holiday.  The display was set-up and then taken down by the grounds crew of the National Cemetery.

Two members of the Bob Smith Detachment #784, Marine Corps League, Inc., from Hummelstown, PA, in 2006 convinced then Cemetery Director Leon Murphy to allow members of the Detachment to provide a staff of volunteers to set-up and take-down the display for those two holidays during the year so as to relieve the grounds crew of that task.  They also asked to be allowed to set-up the display at a few other holidays.  Director Murphy agreed to some but not all the holidays requested.

After Director Murphy retired in 2008, the new Cemetery Director, James Metcalfe, II, was approached by the two Detachment members.  Through a series of discussions with him, Director Metcalfe granted the Detachment volunteers permission to fly the flags on more holidays and to do the work on Saturdays instead of during the week so as not to disrupt any funeral services being conducted and also for the convenience of the numerous volunteers who were only available on weekends.

In the late fall of 2009, permission was sought and granted to allow the display to be presented the following spring on the first Saturday in May 2010 continuously until a weekend or two after Veteran’s Day (November).  The permission was granted on condition that teams of volunteers inspect the condition of the flags every weekend – without fail – or the display would be taken down.

The 80 members of the Avenue of Flags Volunteer Staff (at that time), working as teams, set up the 525 USA interment flags, the 50 State and Commonwealth flags, the 5 Territorial flags and the District of Columbia flag on the first Saturday of May, now commonly referred to as “FLAGS UP” day.  Then, every weekend an Inspection Team went to the National Cemetery on their assigned weekend to inspect all the flags of the display, replacing faded, worn or tattered flags with other flags that had also been donated.

The May to November presentation was successfully managed that first year and the Cemetery Director granted permission to repeat the process again in 2011 and it has been executed successfully every year since to date – without fail.  The volunteer membership has grown to over 340 registered volunteers and, as it always happens, dozens more show up each year who prefer not to register but want to help with this honorable and memorable task.

This patriotic display of our nation’s colors reverently honors those who have been laid to rest in the hallowed grounds of Indiantown Gap National Cemetery and in other cemeteries.  This display has been faithfully maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers of the Avenue of Flags Committee of the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Memorial Council.  The volunteers and members of the Memorial Council seek no reward save their own personal satisfaction that they were part of a program that honors the fallen service men and service women who are now at eternal rest here or at other cemeteries.

When this project first started, the volunteers were mostly from the Bob Smith Detachment, Marine Corps League, Inc.  As time has gone by, interest from other veteran service organizations and organizations of similar interest has increased and now the Avenue of Flags Volunteers represent a large cross-sectioning of dedicated members from other Marine Corps League Detachments, the Navy Club USA, VFW Posts, American Legion Posts, Purple Heart Chapters, DAV Chapters, motorcycle touring clubs, Boy and Girl Scout Troops, Civil Air Patrol Squadrons, JROTC and NJROTC units, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Sea Scouts, the Young Marines and even employees of the Post Office.  There have also been several military retiree organizations that have stepped up to serve once again as well as many individual youth and adult volunteers who are not associated with any of the organized groups.

The Avenue of Flags project qualifies as Community Service for both youth and adult Volunteers.  Neither the National Cemetery nor the Memorial Council issue a community service verification letter for the volunteers but the Avenue of Flags Chairman will validate the organizations forms if presented at the time of service.  For youth, this community service effort counts towards both their youth group’s organizational requirements for promotion in rank and their school’s community service fulfillment requirements for scholastic advancement.

The United States Flags that are on display on the Avenue of Flags are the flags that were presented to the family at the time of the funeral service of their deceased service-connected family member.  Patrons desiring to donate a flag may donate their deceased family member’s 5 foot by 9 1/2 foot casket flag.  It should be noted, however, nylon flags that are the same size and flags of different sizes, or flags that are otherwise “store-bought”, will not be flown on the Avenue of Flags.  The Avenue of Flags presentation is reserved for flags that were presented to honor and memorialize a deceased active duty, reservist or veteran of the armed forces who otherwise met the requirements for a military honors funeral.

Patrons not having a flag to donate may make a financial donation to the Memorial Council to help defray the costs associated with the presentation of the Avenue of Flags.  The Memorial Council, not the National Cemetery, purchases the State and Territorial flags used on the display at an annual cost of approximately $1,500.00 for a full set of 56 flags.  The full set is replaced each spring.  The aluminum poles and of the hardware needed to build the individual interment flag staffs used to display the flags cost about $50.00 for each pole.  These poles are occasionally replaced when visitors accidentally hit them with their cars or violent winds pull the flag and pole over to the ground.  Also, because of recent renovations to the National Cemetery, new poles are needed to fill in along the new lanes added through new sections of the National Cemetery.

The Memorial Council receives no funding from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs or any other branch of the federal government towards the purchase of these flags or staffs and relies on the generosity of the patrons who visit the cemetery or attend the Memorial Day Program, the Veteran’s Day Program or the Candlelight Service Program in December and others desiring to fund the veteran recognition activities of the Memorial Council.