Follow the Flag - First Colors Ceremony

Where the Journey Began

The First Colors Ceremony is designed to “bring our history home.” It began with an American flag that first flew over the United States Capitol on April 6, 2017, commemorating the Centennial of the United States entry into World War I. This commemorative flag was then flown over the American World War I battlefield cemeteries of Europe, to honor the 116,516 individuals who gave the last full measure of devotion.

The flag now returns home to its final destination in Washington, DC, where it will fly high above the National World War I Memorial. The trip this commemorative flag has made recalls the epic journey to Europe by the legendary Doughboys, honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice on the fields of battle, and again rejoices with their triumphant return home. A mission remembered, and again fulfilled.

Flag Journey

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First Stop

Aisne-Marne American Cemetery (France)

This cemetery contains the graves of 2,289 war dead of the American Expeditionary Forces, most of whom fought in the vicinity and in the Marne valley in the spring and summer of 1918. From the hillside rises the memorial chapel decorated with sculptured and stained-glass details of wartime personnel, equipment and insignia. On its interior walls are the names of 1,060 who were missing in the region. Belleau Wood adjoins the cemetery and contains many vestiges of World War I. A monument at the Belleau Wood flagpole commemorates the valor of the U.S. Marines who captured much of this ground in 1918.

First Stop

Second Stop

Brookwood American Cemetery (United Kingdom)

This cemetery contains the graves of 468 American military dead who died throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland during World War I. Close by are military cemeteries and monuments of the British Commonwealth and other Allied nations. Within the American cemetery, the headstones are arranged in four plots, grouped about the flagpole. The regular rows of white marble headstones on the smooth lawn are framed by masses of shrubs and evergreen trees which form a perfect setting for the chapel. On the walls within the chapel are inscribed the names of 564 of the missing who lost their lives in the service of their country and whose graves are in the sea, including the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa sunk by a German torpedo on Sept. 26, 1918 with the loss of 131 crew and passengers. This was the largest single American naval loss of World War I.

Second Stop

Third Stop

Flanders Field American Cemetery (Belgium)

At this site rest 368 American military dead, most of whom gave their lives in liberating Belgium in World War I. Most of the dead are from four U.S. infantry divisions which operated in the regions. The 37th and 91st Divisions operated in the vicinity of the cemetery and the 27th and 30th Divisions served south of Ieper (Ypres). The headstones are aligned in four symmetrical areas around the white stone chapel that stands in the center of the cemetery. On the interior side walls of the chapel are inscribed the names of 43 of the missing whose remains were never recovered or identified.

Third Stop

Fourth Stop

Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery (France)

The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery commemorates the birth of American combat aviation and serves as a symbol of Franco-American comradeship during World War I. This site honors the American volunteer pilots who flew with French squadrons during the Great War and is the final resting place for 49 of America’s first combat aviators, one Canadian soldier and two French officers. More than 200 Americans flew with French squadrons during the course of the war.

Fourth Stop

Fifth Stop

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery (France)

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in Europe, a total of 14,246. Most of those buried here lost their lives during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918, America’s largest of World War I. The immense array of headstones rises in long rows upward beyond a wide central pool to the chapel that crowns the ridge. On either side of the chapel are memorial loggias. One panel of the west loggia contains a map of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Inscribed on the remaining panels of both loggias are Tablets of the Missing with 954 names, including those from the U.S. expedition to northern Russia in 1918-1919.

There is a broad diversity amongst the burials within the cemetery including naval rail- gunners, members of the expedition to Russia, African-American soldiers of the 92nd and 93rd Divisions, women, civilians, and children. Nine Medal of Honor recipients are buried here including Freddie Stowers, one of two African-Americans to receive the Medal of Honor for service in World War I.

Fifth Stop

Sixth Stop

Oise-Aisne American Cemetery (France)

At this cemetery rest 6,012 U.S. military dead, most of whom lost their lives while fighting in this vicinity during 1918. Their headstones, aligned in long rows, rise in a gentle slope from the entrance to the memorial at the far end. The burial area is divided into four plots by wide paths lined by trees and beds of roses; at the intersection is a circular plaza and the flagpole. The memorial is a curving colonnade, flanked at the ends by a chapel and a map room. Engraved upon the chapel walls are the names of 241 of the missing, whose remains were never recovered or identified. The map room contains an engraved and colored wall map portraying the military operations in this region during 1918.

American Poet Joyce Kilmer is buried at Oise-Aisne. He was killed at the nearby Meurcy farm on July 30, 1918 while serving with New York’s famous “Fighting 69th” Infantry.

Sixth Stop

Seventh Stop

Somme American Cemetery (France)

This cemetery contains the graves of 1,844 Americans, most of whom lost their lives while serving in American units attached to British Armies, or in the operations near Cantigny. The headstones, set in rows, are separated into four plots by paths, which intersect at the flagpole near the top of the slope. The longer axis leads to the chapel at the eastern end of the cemetery. The walls within the chapel bear the names of 333 American servicemen listed as missing in action.

Seventh Stop

Eighth Stop

St. Mihiel American Cemetery (France)

The cemetery contains the graves of 4,153 American servicemen, the majority of whom died in the offensive to reduce the St. Mihiel salient. The burial area is divided into four equal plots. At the center is a large sundial surmounted by an American eagle. To the right (west) is a statue of a World War I soldier, while at the eastern end is a semi-circular overlook dominated by a sculpture representing a victory vase.

Beyond the burial area to the south is the white stone memorial consisting of a small chapel, a colonnade with a large rose-granite funeral urn at its center. On two walls are recorded the names of 284 of the missing whose remains were never recovered or identified; on the wall facing the door is a large map of inlaid marble depicting the St. Mihiel Offensive.

Eighth Stop

Ninth Stop

Suresnes American Cemetery (France)

At this cemetery rest 1,541 Americans who died in World War I, together with 24 unknown dead of World War II. Bronze tablets on the walls of the chapel record the names of 974 missing in action, or lost or buried at sea in 1917 and 1918. Originally a World War I cemetery, Suresnes now shelters the remains of U.S. dead of both wars. The World War I memorial chapel was enlarged by the addition of two loggias dedicated to the dead of World War I and World War II, respectively. In the rooms at the ends of the loggias are white marble figures in memory of those who lost their lives in these two wars. Inscribed on the walls of the loggias is a summary of the loss of life in our armed forces in each war, together with the location of all ABMC cemeteries.

Ninth Stop

Tenth Stop

The National World War I Museum and Memorial (Kansas City, MO)

The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., is dedicated to honoring those who served in the Great War by maintaining the Liberty Memorial as a beacon of freedom and a symbol of the courage, patriotism, sacrifice and honor of all who served in World War I.

The Liberty Memorial Tower rises 217 feet above the main courtyard and 268 feet above the North Lawn. The cylindrical tower is 36 feet in diameter at its base, tapering to 28 feet at the top. Guests can take an elevator followed by 45 stairs to the open-air observation deck for a breathtaking view of the Kansas City skyline. At night, a Flame of Inspiration, created by steam and lighting effects, is emitted from the top of the tower and can be seen from miles away. The monument received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and recognition from Congress as a national memorial in 2014.

Tenth Stop

Final Stop

National WWI Memorial (Washington, DC)

On April 16, 2021 the flag of the United States of America will be raised over the National WWI Memorial in Washington, DC, where it will fly in perpetuity.

Explore The Memorial

Final Stop

We shall remain American and go into battle with Old Glory over our heads.

General John J. Pershing, Commander, American Expeditionary Forces