On Remembrance Day, remember two fallen heroes with the tradition of "flags in"

As Major Stephen Von Jett placed the American flag exactly one foot in front of his friend's gravestone, he took the time to reflect on their friendship.

"It's been a long time since I felt this loss," said Von Jett, remembering his fighting friend, Major Paul Carron, who died nine years earlier in Afghanistan.

"I took a moment and thought about our friendship and I placed a flag and I think that's what a lot of old guard soldiers do today." because we all – many of us have a lot of people lost during all this time and coming together to honor those who have fallen means a lot to us, "he added.

On Thursday morning, ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Von Jett made his first stop at Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. It is there that most of the soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

Courtesy Arlington National Cemetery

An annual tradition that has been repeated since 1948, "Flags In" is an opportunity to remember and honor the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

In the space of just four hours, the soldiers placed small American flags in front of more than 228,000 tombstones and nearly 7,000 rows of niches in the Columbarium courtyards and the niche wall.

Jacqueline Yoo / ABC News

Elsewhere in Arlington National Cemetery, Captain Christopher Kittle was standing in front of a gravestone from his wife's uncle. Chief Warrant Officer David Gibbs, died in a helicopter crash in Bosnia in 1999.

"The feeling is very difficult to describe," he says. "You come here and visit a tombstone while recognizing the name – a name that matters a lot to my family, someone who is very dear and dear to us."

For Kittle, Memorial Day was just another day of family reunion for a barbecue, until he became a member of the Old Guard, the 3rd American Infantry Regiment that organizes each year " Flags In "in Arlington. Never personally met Gibbs, Kittle said it was a humiliating experience.

"To be able to plant a flag personally … I sat there and I tried to understand the emotion I felt because I did not know him personally, but I felt very honored," he said.

Jacqueline Yoo / ABC News

But that day was not just about service members who had lost a direct family member or close friends, Von Jett said. He believes that the Memorial Day weekend and the "Flags In" tradition are a chance for all servicemen to reconnect with history, to remember the legacy and to honor their heroes .

"And really, find out where our freedom comes from and you know, place a flag and see what it costs."

Freda Kahen-Kashi of ABC News contributed to this report.