A sea of red, white and blue at a Wisconsin war memorial carries a deeper meaning this Memorial Day — each of the 27,316 flags represents a person from Wisconsin who made the ultimate sacrifice, dating back to the Civil War.
WATCH: Field of Flag volunteers on what Memorial Day is really about
The display draws volunteers who say the experience is unlike anything else.
"These flags represent people who never became a veteran," Kaela Buraczewski said.
Buraczewski has family who served — family who all made it home. Still, she said being among the flags changes your perspective.
"It's very different standing in amongst these flags than it is standing off to the side walking," Buraczewski said.
Miguel Perez said Memorial Day is about taking the time to remember.
"It's just a day for you to reflect upon those that have gone before us, those that have made that ultimate sacrifice," Perez said.
For some volunteers, placing the flags is also a personal act of service. Glen Stenstrup served in the Marine Corps and said this is his third year taking part in the tradition.
"The point is to not forget that all these people," Stenstrup said.
The flags will stand on display through Wednesday. The war memorial is also looking for volunteers to remove the flags Thursday. More information about signing up is available here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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