Flag Etiquette Question

[Lt. ZO6]

I have a question regarding flying the flag at half-staff...

The President ordered the US Flag to be flown at half staff through 12/07/2015 (sunset) in remembrance for the victims of yesterday's attack. 12/07/2015 is also National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which would necessitate lowering the flag to half staff.

In my opinion, both events should not be mixed and instead the flag would be raised to full staff at sunrise on the 7th, then immediately lowered back to half staff in observance of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Thoughts?

 

[SID297]

Works for me.

 

[sparkadellic]

That's only right, or atleast how it should be....

 

[derklug]

I believe you always raise the flag to full staff and return to half staff. If you have a lighted flag, it would be raised every morning and then returned to half staff.

 

[Uncle Meat]

I believe you always raise the flag to full staff and return to half staff. If you have a lighted flag, it would be raised every morning and then returned to half staff.

:thumbsup:

This.

U.M.

 

[Bearbo]

Derklug pegged it. Prez if he wanted to honor the California victims should have stopped at 12/06. The people of Pearl Harbor have earned their day for eternity, not to be 'shared' with anyone unless it is on the same magnitude. While tragic, the California shooting is not even close.

Flag flies half staff all the time. Politicians have taken away it's solemn and significant meaning.

 

[4u 2 nv]

I guess me personally I don't see the issue either way. Its not like we are trying to take anything away from the other. How many people are going to be there to see it raised for 30 seconds and then immediately lowered back to half staff.

I feel like some people take it way too far in regards to flag etiquette just to be an issue. Not trying to say it doesn't deserve its honor or should be drug along the ground in total disregard. In now way am I trying to say that but I recall years ago when I was about 15 being at Walmart with a buddies grandpa who mind you was a Vet. He had an American flag on his antenna. Wont find someone more proud of this country and his flag...only to be berated by another "vet" as the flag was not "attatched" to the car in the proper way to adhere to flag etiquette. Another time it was a friends house that another "vet" went bat S crazy saying how disgraceful we (prob mid 20s at the time) were as it was dusk and we had to light source illuminating the flag and that...by law...you cant have a flag pole attached to a tree for display.



P.S....I feel like im about to be hated on lol.

 

[Uncle Meat]

Tradition and respect, who needs it.

U.M.

http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html


To place the flag at half staff, hoist it to the peak for an instant and lower it to a position half way between the top and bottom of the staff. The flag is to be raised again to the peak for a moment before it is lowered. On Memorial Day the flag is displayed at half staff until noon and at full staff from noon to sunset.

 

[GT Premi]

...

Flag flies half staff all the time. Politicians have taken away it's solemn and significant meaning.

^^^This. The flag is only supposed to fly at half staff for national incidents, deaths of national Statesmen (Presidents, Congressmen, etc.), and remembrance on military holidays. Unless they're a Presidential Award recipient, "civilians" don't qualify for the flag to be flown at half staff, no matter how tragic the circumstances. (U.S. civilians killed in a hostage raid abroad or something similar would fall in the "national incident" category and would qualify.)

 

[4u 2 nv]

Tradition and respect, who needs it.

U.M.

Where do we draw the line though? Based off of those flag display guidelines the iconic Flag pool mounted to a front porch beam on a wrap around front porch is against flag display guidelines. I understand what you are saying but we are talking about a 1 second timeframe at the top of the pole and then back down to its original spot it was at 10 seconds prior. I think we are arguing semantics at this point and I am just glad its a half staff at all.

 

[Uncle Meat]

Where do we draw the line though?

I agree that flying the nations flag at half-staff for the people killed in this this recent massacre by Muslim is not warranted in my eyes.

However according to US Code, Title 36, §178

Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modified, or repealed, or additional rules with respect thereto may be prescribed, by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, whenever he deems it to be appropriate or desirable; and any such alteration or additional rule shall be set forth in a proclamation.

Based off of those flag display guidelines the iconic Flag pool mounted to a front porch beam on a wrap around front porch is against flag display guidelines.

Huh? You'll have to explain that one to me.

I understand what you are saying but we are talking about a 1 second timeframe at the top of the pole and then back down to its original spot it was at 10 seconds prior. I think we are arguing semantics at this point and I am just glad its a half staff at all.

Not semantics, it's simple tradition & respect. I guess we can now stop removing our hats or covering our hearts with the right hand when the national anthem is played. Just semantics, right?

U.M.

 

[VA-Mach1]

What about car dealers with those GIANT flags? I think a half mast some of those would touch the ground.

 

[4u 2 nv]

I agree that flying the nations flag at half-staff for the people killed in this this recent massacre by Muslim is not warranted in my eyes.

However according to US Code, Title 36, §178

Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modified, or repealed, or additional rules with respect thereto may be prescribed, by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, whenever he deems it to be appropriate or desirable; and any such alteration or additional rule shall be set forth in a proclamation.


Huh? You'll have to explain that one to me.



Not semantics, it's simple tradition & respect. I guess we can now stop removing our hats or covering our hearts with the right hand when the national anthem is played. Just semantics, right?

U.M.

The example about the porch goes back to the proper protocol which states:

From a Staff Projecting Horizontally or at an Angle:
The flag may be projected from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, with the union of the flag placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half-staff.

No provision to allow a "general mount" anywhere someone sees fit. Like I said with the Vet giving us grief about the flag attached the oak tree out front of a house. By flag display etiquette..this is 100% wrong. It seems he would rather have the flag NOT displayed than to just let it go.

Semantics in regards to a crowd removing their hats is a tad different than taking a flag from half staff...touching the top and immediately coming right back down to half staff.

Like I said I understand the tradition, respect and honor associated with this but I think some people take this way to far. Like the examples I mentioned. Is the 75+ year old guy with an American flag on his antenna really being disrespectful of the flag by not following the simple tradition and respect the flag deserves and displaying it in a way the flag etiquette does not endorse? He is the issue here? Us having the flag on an oak tree..we are the issue?

 

[Uncle Meat]

Like I said I understand the tradition, respect and honor associated with this but I think some people take this way to far. Like the examples I mentioned. Is the 75+ year old guy with an American flag on his antenna really being disrespectful of the flag by not following the simple tradition and respect the flag deserves and displaying it in a way the flag etiquette does not endorse? He is the issue here? Us having the flag on an oak tree..we are the issue?

I'm in 100% agreement with you on all of this. Some people do take things a bit too far. I'd rather see someone displaying an American flag in a technically incorrect manner, then not displaying one at all.

I was really more commenting on the need to raise the flag to full staff before lowering it to half and then raising it again before lowering it fully for the day. This is in regards to an official flag & pole. Not John Q Public's 3x5 he bought at Wally World and has attached to his front porch column. The reason the flag is raised to full staff before being lowered to half staff is to show respect for the flag itself and what it represents. Only after it has been fully raised and shown this respect can it then be lowered to represent a nation in morning or remembrance of those who have sacrificed themselves for this country. Same deal with raising it from half to full before bringing it down at the end of the day.

Lot of shit has gone on under that flag's 200+ year existence. She's earned it.

U.M.