Here's another GREAT Flag site
It is customary to display the flag either from buildings or flag staffs in the open
from sunrise to
sunset only. When a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be
displayed 24 hours a day if
properly illuminated during darkness. The flag should be hoisted
briskly and lowered
ceremoniously. The flag should not be displayed in bad weather
unless an all-weather flag is
used. The flag should be displayed on all days, but particularly on:
New Year's Day —January 1
Inauguration Day —January20
Lincoln's Birthday —February 12
Washington's Birthday— Third Monday in February
Easter Sunday— Variable
Mother's Day —Second Sunday in May
Armed Forces Day— Third Saturday in May
Memorial Day (half-staff until noon)— Last Monday in May
Flag Day —June 14
Independence Day— July 4
Labor Day— First Monday in September
Constitution Day— September 17
Columbus Day— Second Monday in October
Navy Day— October 27
Veteran's Day— November 11
Thanksgiving Day— Fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day —December 25
The flag should also be displayed on state holidays of the state
in which you reside (including
the date of its admission to the Union) and other days proclaimed by
the president of the
United States. The flag should be displayed on or near the main
administration building of
every public institution. The flag should be displayed in or near
every polling place on election
days. The flag should be displayed during school days in or near
every schoolhouse. The flag,
when carried in a procession with another flag or flags, should be
displayed either on the
marching right (the Flag's own right) or, in a line of flags, in
front of the center of that line. The
flag should not be displayed on a float in a parade except from a
staff .The flag should not be
draped over the hood, top, sides or back of a vehicle, railroad
train or boat. When displayed on
a car, the flag should be fixed to a staff firmly attached to the
chassis or clamped to the right
fender.
No other flag or pennant should be placed above the U.S. flag
except during church services
conducted by naval chaplains at sea for Navy personnel, when the
church pennant may be
flown above the American flag. When placed on the same level with
other flags or pennants,
the American Flag should be to the right. No other flag should be
given a position of superior
prominence or honor to the U.S. flag at any place within the United
States, its territories and/or
possessions. When displayed against a wall from crossed staffs with
another flag, the
American flag should be to its right with its staff front of the
other flag's staff. When displayed
with state flags or pennants of societies on staffs, the U.S. flag
should be at the center and at
the highest point of the group. The U.S. flag should always be at
the top of a halyard when
flown with flags of states, cities or localities or with pennants of
societies. If flown from
adjacent staffs, the U.S. flag should be hoisted first and lowered
last. No flag or pennant may
be placed higher or to the right of the U.S. flag. Flags of two or
more nations are to be flown
from separate staffs of equal heights, with each flag being about
equal in size in time of
peace.
When displayed from a staff projecting horizontally, the union of
the flag should be placed at
the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half-staff If suspended
over a sidewalk from a rope
extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the sidewalk, the
flag should be hoisted out
union-first from the building. When displayed either horizontally or
vertically against a wall, the
union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right. The flag
should be displayed in the
same fashion in a window. The flag should be displayed over the
middle of a street by
suspending it vertically with the union to the north in an east-west
street or to the east in a
north-south street. When displayed At on a speaker platform, the
flag should be above and
behind the speaker. When displayed from a staff in a church or
public auditorium, the flag
should be in advance of the audience and to the speaker's right as
he faces the audience. Any
other flags present should be placed to the left of the speaker.
When suspended across a
corridor or lobby in a building with one main entrance, the flag
should be vertical with the union
facing the observer's left upon entering. If the building has more
than one main entrance, the
flag should be suspended vertically near the center of the corridor
or lobby. The union should
face north when the main entrances face east and west, and east when
the main entrances
face north and south. If the main entrances encompass more than two
directions, the flag's
union should always face east.
When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be draped with
the union at the head and
over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the
grave. The flag should not be
allowed to touch the ground. At the unveiling ceremony of a statue
or monument, the flag
should be a distinctive feature, but never a cover. It is not
improper to display outdated flags.
Displaying the flag at half-staff
When flown at half-staff, the flag first should be hoisted to the peak for an instant
before
lowering to the half-staff position. The flag should be raised to
the peak again before lowering.
The flag should be displayed at half-staff only until noon on
Memorial Day. The flag should be
displayed at half-staff for a 30-day period after the death of a
president or former
president..The flag should be displayed at half-staff for a 10-day
period after the death of a
vice president, chief justice of the United States, or speaker of
the House of Representatives.
The flag should be displayed at half-staff from the day of death
until interment for an associate
justice of the Supreme Court, a secretary of an executive
department, secretary of a military
department, former vice president, governor of a state, governor of
a territory, or governor of a
U.S. possession. The flag should be displayed at half-staff on the
day of death and the
following day for a member of Congress. The flag should be displayed
at half-staff upon the
death of any other officials or foreign dignitaries, according to
presidential instructions or in
accordance with recognized customs and practices not inconsistent
with the law. The
governor of a state, territory or possession may proclaim that the
flag shall be flown at
half-staff the death of a present or former official of his state,
territory or possession.
Respect for the flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States. The flag should not be
dipped
to any person or thing. Regimental colors, state flags and
organizational or institutional flags
are to be dipped as a mark of honor. The flag should never be
displayed with the union down,
except as a signal of distress in instances of extreme danger to
life or property. The flag
should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, floor,
water or merchandise. The
flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft
and free.The flag should never
be used as wearing apparel, bedding or drapery. It should never be
festooned, drawn back or
up, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white and red
- always arranged with the
blue above the white in the middle and the red below - should be
used for covering a
speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for
decoration in general. The flag should
never be fastened, displayed, used or stored in such a manner as to
permit it to be easily torn,
soiled or damaged. The flag should never be used as a covering for a
ceiling. The flag should
never be placed upon any part of, nor attached to, any mark,
insignia, letter, word, figure,
design, picture or drawing of any nation. The flag should never be
used as a receptacle for
receiving, holding, carrying or delivering anything. The flag should
never be used for
advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be
embroidered on such
articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or
otherwise impressed on paper
napkins or boxes, or anything that is designed for temporary use and
disposal. Advertising
signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the
flag is flown. No part of the
flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However,
a flag patch may be
affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen and
members of patriotic
organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself
considered a living thing.
Therefore, the lapel flag pin, being a replica, should be worn on
the left lapel near the heart.
Soiled flags may be renovated by either washing or dry cleaning.
Worn out flags should be
destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.
Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of the flag
During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag, or when the
flag is passing in a parade or
in review, all persons present except those in uniform should face
the flag and stand at
attention with the right hand over the heart. Those present in
uniform should stand and render
the military salute. When not in uniform, men should remove their
headdress with the right
hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the
heart. Aliens should stand at
attention. The salute to the flag in a moving column should be
rendered at the moment the
flagpoles.
To Pack 527 homepage