Don’t Make These Mistakes When Flying The American Flag At Half-Staff On Memorial Day

Showing deference to the nation’s war dead on Memorial Day isn’t as simple as displaying a flag. How the flag is displayed matters greatly during the most somber of remembrances for military personnel.

The original purpose of Memorial Day, observed on Monday, May 26 this year, is for Americans to reflect on the price and pain of freedom and to remember military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Remembrance ceremonies will be held at Arlington National Cemetery and around the country Monday, and ordinary Americans will show their respect by flying their flags at half-staff.

There are a few things to know. The first: To show proper respect, don’t just hoist it halfway up the flagpole.

Specific guidance found in U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7 requires that anytime a flag is flown at half-staff, it “should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position.” When the flag is retired for the night, it “should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.”

Special Memorial Day Protocol

On Memorial Day, a special protocol is observed.

The flag should fly at the half-staff position until noon only, and then be raised to the top of the staff for the remainder of the day.

This custom, unique to Memorial Day, honors the war dead in the morning of Memorial Day, but then the flag is raised to full-staff at noon by the living, “who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.”

The custom appears to date back to at least 1906, when an Army regulations book included instructions for the procedure. Congress made it a permanent part of the U.S. Code (Title 4, Section 6) with the proclamation: “For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination.”

Not everyone has a flagpole. On Memorial Day, flags are often mounted from the side of a home, window or balcony. When the flag is mounted either horizontally or vertically, the blue field with stars should be at the upper left, as passersby would view it.

In all cases, make sure the flag is in pristine condition and isn’t tattered and torn, and that its red and white bars and the union (the blue field of stars) are bright and vibrant.

How To Properly Fold A Flag

Not everyone flies a flag every day. If you’re one of those people who reserve it for holidays and other patriotic occasions, make sure you fold and store it properly between uses.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides step-by-step instructions on how to properly fold an American flag. Importantly, never allow the American flag to touch the ground. It’s easier to accomplish that with two people, who should hold the flag waist high while folding it.

• Step 1: Fold the lower striped section of the flag over the blue field.
• Step 2: Next, the folded edge is folded over to meet the open edge.
• Step 3: Start a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to the open edge.
• Step 4: Next, turn the outer point inward so it is parallel with the open edge to form a second triangle.
• Step 5: Continue the triangular folding until the entire length of the flag is folded in a triangular shape with only the blue field visible.

Folded flags are typically stored in a triangular flag display case. The important thing to remember, no matter how the folded flag is displayed, is that red and white stripes should not be visible.

Only a section of the blue field of stars, which represent the U.S. states, should be visible.

If the flag is no longer suitable for display, dispose of it properly, preferably in a ceremonial burning. American Legion posts and other veteran groups often have flag-disposal ceremonies.

Memorial Day Service Etiquette

Observing proper etiquette is equally important at Memorial Day services at cemeteries and other venues. When the flag is hoisted:

• Spectators who aren’t in military uniform should face the flag, stand at attention and place their hands over their hearts.
• Those who are in uniform should give a proper military salute.
• A man who is not in uniform, but is wearing a hat, should remove it with his right hand and hold it at his left shoulder with his palm resting on his heart.
• Attendees who are not U.S. citizens should stand at attention.
• When the flag advances in a moving column, it is appropriate for all people, regardless of their military status, to salute it as it passes.