Meaning behind American flag garden on Boston Common this weekend

ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY. MEMORIAL DAY MAY BE THE UNOFFICIAL START OF SUMMER, BUT THE HOLIDAY IS REALLY ABOUT HONORING OUR VETERANS AND OUR TROOPS AND THE FAMILIES. JOINING US NOW IS DIANE NEALON, DIRECTOR OF FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN FAMILY OUTREACH AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES AT THE HOME BASE PROGRAM. DIANE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. YOU PLAYED A KEY ROLE THIS YEAR IN THE VERY MOVING DISPLAY OF FLAGS ON BOSTON COMMON. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY LOOK AT THAT TRIBUTE? YEAH, WELL, OUR FLAG GARDEN DISPLAY ON BOSTON COMMON WAS REALLY DESIGNED. AND TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY AND TO ILLUSTRATE IN A VERY LITERAL WAY, OVER MEMORIAL DAY, THE ENORMITY OF THE SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND PRESERVING OUR FREEDOMS. AND SO WE PLANTED ONE FLAG FOR EVERY SERVICE MEMBER FROM THE COMMONWEALTH WHO DIED IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR TO THE PRESENT, OVER 37,000 FLAGS. AND OUR HOPE IS THAT PEOPLE WHO SEE THIS FLAG GARDEN WILL RECOGNIZE THAT ENORMITY. WE RECOGNIZE THE PRICE THAT MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS MAKE AND HAVE BEEN MAKING FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. AND THERE IS A SECOND MESSAGE HERE, TOO. ONE OF INCREDIBLE COMFORT TO THE FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN LIVING TODAY. JUST THAT OUR COMMUNITY CARES, OUR COMMUNITY REMEMBERS, AND OUR COMMUNITY WILL NEVER FORGET. OVER 600 PEOPLE SHOWED UP ON WEDNESDAY, AND THAT BLAZING HEAT TO DELIVER THIS POWERFUL MESSAGE BY CREATING THIS TRIBUTE, ONE FLAG AT A TIME. YES, I WAS OUT THERE ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY FOR THAT MATTER. IT’S DEFINITELY MAJESTIC WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT OUR TROOPS. WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE FAMILIES THAT STAND BEHIND THEM, WHICH IS ALSO SERVICE. WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT CAN THEY FIND AT HOME BASE AS THEY SUPPORT THEIR SERVICE MEMBERS? WELL, WELL, THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THE SACRIFICES THAT MILITARY FAMILIES MAKE IN SUPPORTING THEIR LOVED ONE. SERVICES. SO THOSE SACRIFICES ARE REAL AND ARE AS VARIED AS THE TYPES OF MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS THEMSELVES AT HOME BASE, MILITARY FAMILIES CAN FIND A RANGE OF LEVELS OF SUPPORT FROM SOCIAL CONNECTIONS TO INTENSIVE PSYCHIATRIC CARE, AND THESE PROGRAMS INCLUDE FUN ADVENTURE SERIES, UM, OUTINGS WHERE THEY CAN FIND OTHER MILITARY FAMILIES FOR PEER SUPPORT, FUN THINGS LIKE BALL GAMES AND CONCERTS, MUSEUM TOURS. WE HAVE NATIONWIDE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS WHICH TEACH PARENTING OR MIND BODY RESILIENCY SKILLS, TRADITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AVAILABLE FOR MASSACHUSETTS FAMILIES IN OUR OUTPATIENT CLINIC, AND FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN NATIONWIDE. WE HAVE AN INTENSIVE TWO WEEK CLINICAL PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ADDRESS CERTAIN TYPES OF PROLONGED GRIEF. BUT I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT HOME BASED DELIVERS THOSE SAME PROGRAMS AND OTHERS DIRECTLY TO SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS THEMSELVES, AND THAT FOR THOSE FOLKS, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL TWO WEEK INTENSIVE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. AND WHEN FAMILIES, MEMBERS OF SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS RECEIVE THIS TYPE OF CARE, THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS GET TO FULL DAYS OF EDUCATIONAL CONTENT ABOUT HOW TO SUPPORT THEIR LOVED ONE WITH PTSD. SO WE’VE SIMPLY FOUND THAT A VETERAN OR SERVICE MEMBER IS BETTER SUPPORT WHEN THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE INVOLVED IN THEIR CARE AS WELL. I’VE SPOKEN PERSONALLY TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE UTILIZED SOME OF THOSE SERVICES, AND IT DOES MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, DIANE NYLAND, DIRECTOR OF FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN FAMILY OUTREACH AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES AT HOME BASE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING TIME

Meaning behind Boston’s American flag garden on Memorial Day weekend

Updated: 11:04 AM EDT May 25, 2024

An executive with Home Base talks about the annual tribute to fallen U.S. military heroes from Massachusetts.

BOSTON —

An executive with Home Base talks about the annual tribute to fallen U.S. military heroes from Massachusetts.