Avenue of Flags honors more than 4,000 fallen veterans in Broken Arrow

Thousands of American flags now line the grounds of Floral Haven Memorial in honor of fallen service members this Memorial Day weekend.

The Avenue of Flags tradition, now in its 53rd year, features 4,460 full-sized flags—each one once draped over the casket of a veteran. Every flag includes a bronze dog tag with the veteran’s name and flag number.

“It’s Memorial Day, and we are remembering those veterans that have fallen in the line of duty and some that just served,” said Walter Still, Managing Partner of Floral Haven Funeral Home. 

The tradition began with a single widow who asked to fly her husband’s flag after his funeral service. 

“She said, ‘What will I do with this flag? I don’t want it to just sit on my mantle and collect dust. I want it to stand for something,’” Still said.

Local JROTC cadets from across Tulsa helped raise the flags. Among them was Ayden York, a high school cadet serving as battalion command sergeant major.

 “Basically, what we do for the fallen soldiers—we kind of memorize them and we raise their flag with their name on it, as you can see with the bronze dog tags,” York said.

“It’s very important to remember who actually fought for our country and gave us this freedom,” he added. “A lot of people have grandmas and grandpas in the armed forces. They’d love to see this, too.”

Still said the visual impact of the flags—and the stories behind them—is powerful.

 “As you hear the winds blow with the weather today, you hear the true price of freedom,” he said. “And it’s really amazing to see freedom in its form, in these flags.”

The flags will remain standing through Memorial Day, ending with a flag retirement ceremony by the Boy Scouts of America on Monday evening. Floral Haven encourages everyone to visit the memorial to honor the fallen veterans.