WORCESTER—In a quiet, solemn tribute to those who died in service to the United States, volunteers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute planted roughly 1,000 small American flags on campus Thursday afternoon.
The Memorial Day display, organized by WPI’s Community of Valor—a campus group composed of military veterans—circles the base of a tree and will remain in place through the holiday.
Volunteers, including faculty and staff with military backgrounds, gathered in the rain to place each flag by hand as part of the annual “Flags In” event, echoing similar commemorations held at military cemeteries across the country, including Arlington National Cemetery.
Adam Heppe, WPI’s director of facilities operations and a 20-year U.S. Army veteran, helped lead the effort and reflected on the meaning of the display in a video released by the university.
“I hope people will just take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice and service of not only our uniformed service members, but also their families and friends as we enjoy our Memorial Day weekend,” Heppe said in a statement.
Greg Palmerino, assistant director in the Office of Academic Advising and a U.S. Air Force veteran, also helped organize the event.
“We do believe that the American flag is very symbolic of freedom and liberty and those who have served in the United States service, military,” Palmerino said. “And we just want to make sure that everybody gets to see that and remember that in a quiet and ceremonial way.”
The Community of Valor supports veterans on campus through networking, mentorship, and outreach efforts, and hosts events like this to foster remembrance and connection between WPI and the broader veteran community.
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