DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — As Memorial Day approaches, three men in Decatur are on a mission protecting the red, white and blue.

Their annual tradition began four years ago after an incident involving a man caught stealing a flag. Now, their mission is to protect Old Glory. Although they are not veterans, they belong to an organization known as the Patriot Guard Riders, which provides support at military funerals and other military-related events.

At Graceland Cemetery, they will be implementing a dawn-to-dusk rule starting Friday and continuing until Tuesday, May 27. This means that visitors are prohibited from entering the premises during nighttime. The reason for this restriction is the presence of approximately two hundred American flags in the area.

However, these are not the usual American flags you might display outside your home. These are casket flags, used to honor veterans by draping them over their caskets to commemorate their service and memory.

“That’s sad that we have to sit out in the cemetery in the middle of night to do it, but it is what it is,” said Mike Tarczan, Illinois Patriot Guard Riders member. “A lot of these veterans that’s buried out here are combat veterans. They’ve been gone for a long time and no longer have family anymore, so we really got to be their family.”

He said each casket flag is worth $1,000. Tarczan said they’ll be outside each day from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.