Name: Volunteer opportunity: Flags-In
Start: 2026-05-16T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-05-21T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Forest Home Cemetery

Honor veterans at Forest Home Cemetery for America’s 250th
About this Event

Forest Home Cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of men and women who have served in the U.S. military since the War of 1812.

Please help us honor them with a flag at their grave before Memorial Day.

REGISTRATION & PICKUP

There is no fee for this event, but you must register for a date/time to get an assignment.
The date/time you register for is when volunteers will be onsite to hand out flags, sections maps and lists of names. You may place flags right after you pick them up or you can come back on a different date, any time when the cemetery is open, 8am to 7pm.
If you are not able to place the flags assigned to you, please return them to the office so we can reassign them.
All flags must be placed before Memorial Day (May 25, 2026).
PICKUP DATES/LOCATION

May 16, 9a-12p: Pick up your flags and assignment in Victorian Garden. Volunteers will hand out assignments and help you find your section. Victorian Garden is a pedestrian area, so park anywhere around sections 8 and 16 and walk in (see map below).
May 18, 9a-4p: Pick up flags/assignments in the office.*
May 21, 9a-4p: Pick up flags/assignments in the office.*
*The pick-up table may not be staffed when you arrive, but this will be clearly markes. Pick up your assignment, packet and flags and go out in the cemetery to place flags on your own, any day and time before May 25. Cemetery hours are 8a to 7p. Note: the cemetery gates are locked at 7p, so please exit before then. Please return packets with your notes to the office and any flags you didn't place.
ASSIGNMENTS

You will be assigned a section number and will get a list of the known veterans in that section.
You will also get a cemetery map.
Please bring something to write with to keep track of the veterans you find and write down other veterans you find who are not on your list so we can continue to build our database.
You can drive closer to your section, if you like, and you can park on any cemetery road.
FINDING THE GRAVES

Finding veterans’ graves can be challenging since exact locations aren’t always known. It may feel like a scavenger hunt as you search for names—but that’s part of the challenge and the fun!

Each volunteer develops their own system for finding the graves; sometimes it's just walking every row.
Many headstones will include information that identifies that person as a veteran: a government-issued marker will include the service era (WWII, Korean War, Gulf War, etc.).
Civil War headstones are usually upright marble or granite with a rounded top and a shield. They list the soldier’s name, rank, state, and grave number.
Some graves have a metal marker or medallion that gives miliary info, like Grand Army of the Republic. See samples below.
PLACING FLAGS
Hold the top of the stick with one hand and below the flag with the other and push into the ground.
Place about 1" from the stone in all cases.
Center in the front of upright markers (like Civil War markers)
Center in the back of flat/flush markers.
Place to the left side of larger markers.
WHAT TO BRING/WEAR
Please bring something to write with to check off names and enter data.
Wear comfortable shoes and watch your step!
Bring the kids! You may bring dogs but only on a leash, and please pick up after them.

About Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum

Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery is Milwaukee’s oldest-operating cemetery, open to people of all faiths, races and backgrounds since its inception. Forest Home is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the finest example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest

Larger than any City of Milwaukee park, Forest Home is the city's first accredited arboretum with more than 2,600 trees representing 100-plus species on nearly 200 acres.

The land now occupied by the cemetery has been held sacred by many people for centuries. Local tribal leaders have recently visually verified two Indigenous mounds here, in sections 15 and 19.

Forest Home is open daily to the public from dawn to dusk. Walkers, joggers, bicycles, leashed dogs and picnickers are welcome, as long as they are respectful of all burial sites, memorials and mounds.

Each year, we host public and private historical and nature-based tours, field trips and teen programs, plus our signature community events: Memorial Day, Doors Open and Dia de los Muertos 5K & Festival.

We have many volunteer opportunities for adults and youth looking for service hours or the chance to help maintain our historic monuments, buildings and grounds. Email [email protected] to find out more.

If you enjoy our beautiful space, stay longer! Stop in the office Monday–Friday 8 am–4:30 pm and Saturday 10 am–3:30 pm, or call a counselor (414) 645-2632 to find out about our many burial and memorial options.