Before you rally 'round the flag, take a moment to bone up on a little flag etiquette. by Shelley Davis
Everywhere you look these days, you see it. The American flag is in store windows, on bumper stickers, and flying from the flagpole your neighbors recently installed in front of their house. It's even on the t-shirt being worn by the most surprising of patriots, your neighbors' teenage son, a purple-haired, fashion-conscious lad.
A wave of patriotism has swept across the nation, and people are rushing to display our cherished flag everywhere they can. But many of these well-intentioned patriots don't know about or observe the rules for displaying the American flag, which can be found in the U.S. Flag Code. Although these rules aren't law, they serve as a guide for how to properly display the flag.
Here are some general guidelines:
Take a good look at the flag you intend to display, particularly if it's been stored for a while. Does it have any tatters or frays? Is it dirty? If so, take time to mend and clean it. Once that's done, "Old Glory" is fit to be displayed.
Normally, the flag is displayed from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary outdoor flagpoles. However, if you plan to display the flag outside during inclement weather, be sure to use an all-weather flag.
Some people like to display the flag 24 hours a day. You may display the flag at night as long as it is properly illuminated so the stars and stripes can be seen by an observer from a reasonable distance.
Take care in the way you raise and lower the flag. According to the Flag Code, it should be "hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously."
If you display the flag from a staff attached to a window, balcony, or building, the union (blue field) should appear at the top of the staff (the end farthest away from the window). If you display the flag in a window, however, the union should be at the top and to the left, as viewed by an observer on the street. Likewise, if you place the flag against a wall in your home, it can be hung either horizontally or vertically, as long as the field of stars is on the top and to the observer's left.
Spirit at Ground Zero
The American flag has long served as a source of inspiration. On Sept. 11, 2001, Old Glory once again became a symbol of this nation's spirit.
Firefighter Dan McWilliams from Engine 255 and Ladder 157 in Brooklyn, N.Y., had been searching for survivors in the rubble for nearly six hours when he was ordered to immediately evacuate World Trade Center Building Seven, which was about to collapse.
As McWilliams was leaving, he spotted an American flag on a yacht docked behind the World Financial Center. He walked over, rolled the flag around the pole so it wouldn't touch the ground, and carried it to the evacuation area, where fellow firefighters George Johnson and Billy Eisengrien helped him anchor it in the rubble. Together, the three weary, dust-covered firemen raised the flag for all to see.
The red, white, and blue of the flag stood out against the stark gray-and-white landscape. Once again, the flag became a symbol of hope, defiance, patriotism, and unity.
That flag continues to serve as a source of inspiration. On Sept. 23, New York Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani presented the flag to Adm. Robert J. Natter, USN, commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Natter sent it to the USS Theodore Roosevelt, where it flies today. The Navy will return the flag to the New York City Fire Department when the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group returns from deployment.
Show a little respect
In addition to telling you what to do, the Flag Code also tells you what not to do. For example, you should never wear a real flag. Instead, use material printed with a flag pattern. Likewise, you should never sew anything onto the flag or mark it. You also should never:
use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform;
use the flag to receive, hold, carry, or deliver anything; or
use the flag for advertising purposes or print it on items intended for temporary use.
Other guidelines in the Flag Code govern how the flag is displayed. For example, the flag should never be displayed with the union down, except to signal an emergency. You also should never:
allow the flag to touch anything underneath it, such as the ground or water;
dip the flag to honor a person or thing; or
carry the flag flat or horizontal, festoon it, or draw it back or up for any reason.
Everyone should use proper etiquette when acknowledging the flag. Uniformed servicemembers should salute the flag as it is raised and lowered and maintain that salute through the last note of the national anthem or until the flag is unsnapped from the flagstaff, whichever is longer. Civilians can show their respect by placing their right hand over their heart. Men wearing hats should remove their hat and hold it over their left shoulder.
During a parade or procession, everyone should face the flag while standing at attention with their right hand over their heart. Uniformed servicemembers should face the flag and salute the moment it passes.
Long May She Wave
Everyone knows the American flag should be displayed on national holidays such as Memorial Day. But what about some lesser-known holidays?
You can display the flag from sunrise to sunset every day, if you choose. If not, you should try always to display the flag on the following days:
New Year's Day — Jan. 1
Martin Luther King Jr. Day — third Monday in January
Inauguration Day — Jan. 20
Lincoln's Birthday — Feb. 12
Washington's Birthday — Feb. 22
Presidents' Day — third Monday in February
Easter Sunday — varies by year
Mother's Day — second Sunday in May
Peace Officers' Memorial Day — May 15 (flag at half-staff)
Armed Forces Day — third Sunday in May
Memorial Day — last Monday in May (flag at half-staff until noon)
Flag Day/Army Day — June 14
Independence Day — July 4
Korean War Veterans Day — July 27 (flag at half-staff)
Labor Day — first Monday in September
Constitution Day/Air Force Day — Sept. 17
Columbus Day — Oct. 12
Navy Day — Oct. 27
Election Day — first Tuesday in November
Marine Corps Birthday — Nov. 10
Veterans Day — Nov. 11
Thanksgiving Day — fourth Thursday in November
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day — Dec. 7 (flag at half-staff)
Christmas Day — Dec. 25
State and local holidays and days proclaimed by the president of the United States.
Displaying Old Glory with other flags
When the American flag is carried in a procession with other flags, it should be either on the marching right (or flag's own right) or in front and center of the line of flags.
Never place another flag or pennant higher than the American flag or to the right of it if the flags are on the same level (except during religious services at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag on the mast).
If a line of flags is displayed indoors, the American flag always should be in the place of honor, behind the speaker and to the speaker's right. Other flags should be placed at the speaker's left.
When flags are displayed in a semicircle, the American flag should be centered and at the highest point.
The U.S. flag always should be the first flag raised and last lowered.
Special events
Occasionally the flag is hung over a street during a parade or other special event. When this is done, it should be hung vertically, with the union to the north or east. If the flag is suspended vertically over a sidewalk, the flag's union should be the farthest part from the building.
The flag also may be used when mourning. The flag is flown at half-staff to mourn a government leader or following a presidential or gubernatorial order. To fly the flag at half-staff, first hoist it to the top of the pole for an instant, then lower it to a position halfway between the top and bottom. At the end of the day, raise the flag all the way to the top, then lower it completely.
During memorials, burials, and funerals, the flag should be placed on the coffin with the union at the head and over the left shoulder. Never lower the flag into a grave. Instead, carefully fold it into a triangle, with only the blue field showing on both sides.
Additional resources
For more information, visit the American Legion or bcpl.net Internet Services online via TROA's links page, www.troa.org/magazine/links.asp.
