People pay tribute to America's fallen soldiers in a variety of different ways, and a group of volunteers recently did so in unique fashion. About 400 people turned up at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday for the 16th annual Renewal and Remembrance event.
The event attracts everyone from children to professional landscapers to spruce up the final resting place of hundreds of thousands of the country's service members. Their duties included a number of different tasks such as pruning trees, mulching and general cleaning up. Since the event began in 1996, volunteers have donated more than $2 million to the cause.
"The very first year, I realized what an impact it would make on those people who made an impact for us," volunteer John Gibson said. "It's pretty emotional every year to have a chance to give back. All we do is lawn and tree care, and these guys [sacrificed their lives] for us."
The restoration came just before an important event was held at the cemetery. Also on Monday, the military buried the remains of six airmen who were shot down in 1965. They had been missing for more than 45 years until their remains were found in 2010 and 2011, The Associated Press reports.