WATCH: Soldier Places Flag at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier During Torrential Downpour

Screenshot Facebook/3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)

If you were at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Friday (May 25th) you were witness to a moving experience. Video and photos show a proud member of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment placing a flag at the  Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a torrential rainstorm. Soldiers from the Old Guard place American flags in front of more than 228,000 headstones as part of the annual Flags In ceremony, which has been held since 1948 just before Memorial Day.

A Facebook post showing the tribute had this this say.

Yesterday, torrential rain and drastic wind gusts overcame America’s most hallowed grounds. Visitors ran for cover. News media piled into vehicles together. The streets flooded. Trees as old as the cemetery itself broke at the trunk and came crashing down. But America’s Regiment endured. They found low ground and held fast through the wind and the rain. Some had to be to ordered to stand down from planting flags, still determined to continue to honor the fallen.

During the storm, one of the most extraordinary displays of discipline and dedication to duty ever to be witnessed at Arlington National Cemetery was taking place at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. With only a few watching from cover, a Tomb Sentinel approached the Unknowns with U.S. flags in hand. As thunder shook the ground and rains washed down without abandon, the Tomb Sentinel pierced through the elements with breath-taking precision. He knelt and placed the flags in honor of the Unknowns. For the select few who saw this moment, it was jaw-dropping. Humans have their limits, but The Old Guard has yet to meet theirs.

Tomb Sentinel during Flags In

After the overwhelmingly positive response to our Flags In coverage, we feel an obligation to share this unfinished clip. It shows just how bad the conditions actually were at the plaza moments before the Tomb Sentinel placed the U.S. flags for the Unknowns. Watch it with sound to get the full effect. America’s Regiment is committed to giving our utmost to those that gave their all.

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Saturday, May 25, 2019

A Soldier of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) plants a U.S. flag in front of the Tomb of the Unknown…

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Friday, May 24, 2019

A Soldier of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) approaches the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a severe…

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Friday, May 24, 2019

A Soldier of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) stands in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a…

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Friday, May 24, 2019

A Soldier of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) stands in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a…

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Friday, May 24, 2019

A Soldier of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) plants a U.S. flag in front of the Tomb of the Unknown…

Posted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) on Friday, May 24, 2019