By David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor For Dailymail.com
Published: 19:28 BST, 23 May 2019 | Updated: 20:11 BST, 23 May 2019
The president and first lady paid an unannounced visit Thursday to Arlington National Cemetery, making the traditional Memorial Day appearance four days early because they will be in Japan on Monday's holiday.
Donald and Melania Trump took turns planting small U.S. flags in front of a row of headstones, assisted by a quartet of servicemen in fatigues from the Third Infantry 'Old Guard' unit that conducts ceremonies at Arlington.
They spent their time in Section 34 of the cemetery, where visitors can see the grave site of General John Joseph 'Black Jack' Pershing, who commanded American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front in World War I.
Frank Buckles, the last surviving veteran of that war, is buried in the same section.
Presidents traditionally lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Memorial Day. The first couple spent less than a quarter-hour at the cemetery, which averages nearly 30 funerals each weekday and between six and eight every Saturday.
But they weren't alone: A contingent of other military personnel were also participating in the annual 'Flags In' event, which begins the Thursday before Memorial Day each year.
Over the course of about four hours more than 260,000 flags found their places Thursday at the resting places of America's honored dead.
The operation included 228,000 individual Arlington headstones and 7,000 rows of 'niches.' Army chaplains placed flags in front of the cemetery's memorials and the headstones located on Chaplain's Hill.
