Honor the Fallen, Uniting the Living & Inspiring the Next Generation.

The Story Behind the Flags Forward Movement

On Memorial Day weekend, cemeteries across America quietly transform.
Small American flags begin to appear beside headstones-one by one-until entire fields of red, white, and blue stretch across the landscape.

Each flag represents a life.

A service member.
A veteran.
A father, mother, brother, sister, daughter, son or friend.

Through the Flags Forward movement, the Military Veteran Project (MVP) is working to ensure that every veteran is remembered.

But the movement began with something much smaller.
A single flag.

Where the Movement Began

In 2012, Staff Sergeant Jamie Jarboe passed away, leaving behind his wife, Melissa Jarboe, and their daughters.

The following year, as Memorial Day approached, Melissa and her daughters visited the cemetery to bring Jamie an American flag.
Like many families, they wanted to honor his service and sacrifice.
But as they walked through the cemetery, they noticed something that stayed with them.
Some of the veterans buried near Jamie did not have a flag beside their graves.

The realization was simple but powerful.

If one veteran deserved to be remembered, then every veteran deserved the same honor.

So Melissa and her daughters began placing flags not only at Jamie’s grave, but also at the graves of other veterans nearby.
What started as a quiet act of remembrance soon became something more.
A small movement began to grow.

From One Family to a Community Effort

Over the following years, the effort slowly expanded as more people joined in.
Friends, families, and volunteers began helping place flags at the graves of veterans in local cemeteries.
The simple act of placing a flag became a powerful way for communities to honor those who served.
By 2016, the Military Veteran Project formally adopted the effort and helped expand it as part of its mission to support veterans and their families.
The program became known as Flags Forward.
Today, the initiative continues to grow as communities come together to ensure that no veteran is forgotten.

Why Flags Forward Matters
While large national cemeteries often receive major Memorial Day tributes, many veterans are buried in smaller community cemeteries where recognition can sometimes be limited.
Flags Forward focuses on those local cemeteries.
Through coordinated volunteer efforts, community members help place American flags at the graves of veterans ahead of Memorial Day so families visiting their loved ones will see that their service is remembered.
For many families, that simple flag carries enormous meaning.
It tells them their loved one’s service still matters.

A Community Movement
Flags Forward is intentionally designed to involve the entire community.

Participants may include:
• Veterans and military families
• Schools and youth organizations
• Churches and civic groups
• Businesses and community teams
• Volunteers who want to help honor those who served

By involving younger generations, the program also helps educate communities about the meaning of Memorial Day and the sacrifices made by those in uniform.

A Flag. A Name. A Legacy.
What began with one family placing a flag for a loved one has grown into a movement built on remembrance, respect, and community.

Each flag tells a story.
Each headstone carries a name.

And every name represents someone who once stepped forward to serve their country.

Through Flags Forward, communities now have a way to step forward in return.

Join the Flags Forward Movement
The Military Veteran Project invites communities to take part in the Flags Forward movement by volunteering, sponsoring flags, or helping organize local efforts.
Because every veteran deserves to be remembered.

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