Arlington Cemetery Renewal and Remembrance honors fallen veterans

ARLINGTON, Va. - Despite Monday's heat, thousands of plants were put into the ground to honor our veterans.

Nearly 500 volunteers donated their time and thousands of plants to give back to our veterans at Arlington National Cemetery and at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

Each year, the National Association of Landscape Professionals teams up with the National Park Service to help out however they can. This year marked the 28th NALP Annual Renewal and Remembrance Event.

At Arlington National Cemetery, they did irrigation work, cleared headstones, mulched, and even climbed up trees to install lightning rods and grounding cables so they are safe during storms.

"Arlington National Cemetery is not just a cemetery or a national treasure, it's a living, breathing ecosystem that supports a diverse range of wildlife and trees and vegetation," said Brandon Sheppard, president of the NALP.

"We do it really to give back," added Britt Wood, NALP CEO. "Arlington National Cemetery is referred to as America's most hallowed ground, the mall is frequently referred to as America's front yard. Who better to work on those two places than landscapers and lawncare professionals who belong to our organization."

Many of their landscapers are veterans themselves.

This year, the 'American Veterans Disabled for Life' Memorial at the National Mall will celebrate its 10th year - so they wanted to spruce it up - putting thousands of plants into the ground there. They began unloading at 2 a.m. and wrapped up just before 11 a.m.

"What we're trying to do is help refurbish and breathe some new life into those two hallowed grounds, and we're really excited about it," said Wood. "At the memorial, we put out roughly 12,000 plants, planted them, watered them and they're going to look fantastic."

All of the trees, plants and time are donated, and people flew in from all over the country to take part in Monday's event.