The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Pooler, GA, will hold its sixth annual Flags for the Fallen event from May 22 through May 25, 2026, at its Memorial Garden in Chatham County, Georgia. The event, presented by VyStar Credit Union, honors the 26,000 Eighth Air Force airmen who were killed during WWII. The display, titled Flags for the Fallen: 26,000 Flags | One Mission, is scheduled to begin Friday, May 22, at 10:30 a.m. As part of the tribute, the museum’s Memorial Garden will be filled with 26,000 48-star American flags. Each flag represents one of the Eighth Air Force airmen who died in service during the war. The 48-star flag was the flag under which they served, and for many, the flag under which they were buried. Visitors will be able to walk through the garden during the four-day display and reflect on the service and sacrifice of the airmen being remembered.
Volunteers will help place the flags on Wednesday, May 20, ahead of the public opening. The museum said volunteer support is central to preparing the display and honoring the fallen in a respectful way. Those interested in helping can register through the museum’s volunteer form: volunteer registration form. “We invite the community to join us as we come together to honor and remember our fallen heroes,” says Dawn Brosnan, Director of Communications and Marketing for the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. “Flags for the Fallen is not just an event; it’s a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by these brave airmen, and we must ensure their legacy lives on.” For more information and to support the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, click on this link: www.mightyeighth.org.
