2015
Memorial Day Need Discovered
2,700 little 3″x 5″ American flags are bought, donated, and brought to the cemetery for distribution by 15-20 patriotic Americans just looking to make a difference on Memorial Day.
2016
10,000 Flags Placed
The non-profit, Flags for Fort Snelling, was officially formed! We placed 10,000 regulation-size American flags throughout the main ceremony area of the cemetery on Memorial Day morning.
2017
50,000 Flags Placed
In our second year as an official non-profit, Flags for Fort Snelling raised enough funds to add to last year’s flag count, increasing the 2017 count to 50,000 American flags.
2018
MINNESOTA REMEMBERS- 200,000 Flags for 200,000 Heroes
MINNESOTA REMEMBERS became the Memorial Weekend Event. 2018 was the first year Minnesota honored every hero laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery with an American Flag on Memorial Day since the 1980s- placing nearly 200,000 American flags!
2019
2nd Year Placing Nearly 200,000 Flags
2019 will be a repeat of the last year, working with thousands of volunteers to honor every headstone of Fort Snelling Cemetery with an American Flag- nearly 200,000 American flags!
2020
Shocking Pandemic Shadows the Release of the New Retractable Flag
In 2020, we wanted to present this wonderful design that will meet all of our needs for a sustainable tradition, but everyone’s world was rocked by a pandemic called Covid-19. With how fast it was spreading and the information was too inconclusive to depend on, we had to make the safe decision and cancel the 2020 Minnesota Remembers Memorial Day Event.
In the meantime, we announced the new flag and are driven to get them manufactured as soon as possible- Let’s raise those funds to ensure the flags last for generations to come!
2021
Shocking Pandemic Shadows the Release of the New Retractable Flag
At the beginning of 2021, there were still a lot of unknowns with regards to Memorial Day, but to keep inline with our normal schedule, we began reaching out to Fort Snelling to start the planning process, just in case.On May 11, 2021, we were given permission to proceed with Flag Placement. That gave us only 20 days to get everything done! Gathering all of the volunteers, organizing flag drop-offs + pick-ups, counting all of the flags, flag purchasing (yes, more flags had to be purchased!), flag organizing (in tote bags this year), organizing the flag placement requests and SO much more all had to be done in that short 20-day window. But we did it!Because of Joanne and MacKenzie’s dedication to the mission. Because of Erin’s willingness to join the Board again when Rocky became too sick to participate. Because of VantagePoint’s willingness to drop everything and help with all of our designs and print materials. Because of our supporters, who with days’ notice came out and helped. WE DID IT!2022
Nearly 200,000 Flags Were Placed
Working with hundreds of volunteers to honor every headstone of Fort Snelling Cemetery with an American Flag- nearly 200,000 American flags!
IT ALL BEGAN WITH A NEED TO HONOR