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Flag Code
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For more information check out:
Flag.org
On
June 14, 1777, the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress adopted a
resolution that gave birth to our national flag. The resolution read:
"Resolved that the flag of the United
States be made of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be
13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."
Flags and flag education are
important elements of the VFW's Citizenship Education program. In fact,
flags are the most commonly requested items from the VFW's Emblem and
Supply Department, which sells more than 250,000 flags each year.
The VFW publishes a flag booklet,
"Ten Short Flag Stories," which you can request by sending a
self-addressed stamped envelope to the
Citizenship Education Department, Veterans of
Foreign Wars, 406 West 34th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64111.
Quantities can be purchased through VFW Emblem and Supply.
Colonial Flags:
During the early days of the Revolutionary War,
the colonies and military commands used a variety of flags.
Prominent among these were the "Rattlesnake" flags (originally designed
by Benjamin Franklin as a segmented snake representing the first eight
colonies) with various arrangements and mottos. John J, in a
letter dated July 1776, stated that Congress had made no order
"concerning Continental colors, and that captains of the armed vessels
had followed their own fancies." He names as one device a
Rattlesnake poised to strike, and having the motto, "Don't Tread on Me."
The Rattlesnake was a favorite symbol with the colonists along with
trees, stars and anchors.
Grand Union:
Late in 1775, a Congressional committee
decided upon the form for a new flag. The design, created
after consultations with General George Washington, then commanding
the Army, consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the crosses of
St. George and St. Andrew on a blue field in the canton, or
union. It was known as the Grand Union or Continental flag.
This flag preceded the Declaration of Independ3nce and indicated the
colonies had not wholly broken from Great Britain. U.S. Navy
Lt. John Paul Jones first raised this flag on a Continental warship
when he hoisted it above the Alfred on Dec. 3, 1775.
Washington first unfurled the Grand Union on land Jan. 1, 1776.
The First Flag:
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress
adopted a flag that "shall be 13 stripes, alternate red and white,
with a union of 13 stars of white on a blue field, representing a
new constellation." This was the birthday of the U.S. flag as
we now know it, and June 14 is now celebrated as "Flag Day."
However, there was no mention as to the arrangement of the stars on
the union or the proportions of the flag. This flag was first
hoisted at sea by John Paul Jones on the Ranger, July 4,
1777. It was first displayed on land during the battle at Fort
Stanwix, N.Y., on Aug. 3, 1777, although there are a number of
authorities who claim that the first Stars and Stripes displayed in
battle was at the battle of Bennington, Vt. on Aug. 16, 1777.
Star-Spangled Banner:
When Kentucky and Vermont were added to the
Union, Congress added two stripes and two stars, one for each new
state. This was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to
write the Star-Spangled Banner during the War of 1812, at the Battle
of Fort McHenry. The 15 stars and 15 stripes were used until
1818 when five more stars were added to the Union. VFW later
led the crusade to establish the Star-Spangled Banner as the
national anthem. By 1929, VFW has 4 million signatures in hand
with which to petition Congress. It took two years, but the
Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as America's official national
anthem in 1931, signed into law by President Herbert Hoover.
Flag Standards:
Seeing that adding a new star and stripe
for each new state would get unruly, Congress, under the advice of
Navy Capt. Sam C. Reid, decided the flag should have 13 stripes
alternating red and white and a blue union with a star for each
state. A star would then be added for every new state on the
July 4th following its admission to the Union. In 1818,
President James Monroe ordered that the tars be placed in four
equal, parallel rows of five each. In 1912, President William
H. Taft issued executive orders establishing proportions of the flag
(1:1.9) and arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of
eights each, a single point of each star to point upward.
Until 1912, there had been no official rules designating the
arrangement of the stars on, or the measurements of, the flag.
Our Flag Today:
In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
with the admission of Hawaii as a state, had the stars arranged in
nine horizontal rows (five rows of six and four rows of five).
It has been our flag since July 4, 1960. Though stars have
been added for new states since 1791, the U.S. flag's basic design
has not changed since 1818. One of the world's oldest national
flags, the U.S. flag wasn't widely displayed by the public until the
start of the Civil War in 1861. Today, the U.S. flag is one of
the most readily recognized banners in the world. It was also
the first flag to be flown on the moon. On July 20, 1969
astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin raised it there.
Here are some rules for proper display and use of
the U.S. flag, as established by the generally accepted custom and by
the Public Law 94-344 approved by the Congress and signed by the
President in 1976. The Flag Code does not impose penalties for the
misuse of the flag. Such penalties are determined by the individual
states and the District of Columbia.
When to Fly the U.S. Flag
The federal flag code says the universal custom is to display the U.S.
flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in the
open, but when a patriotic effect is desired the flag may be displayed
24-hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. Also,
the U.S. flag should not be displayed when the weather is inclement,
except when an all-weather flag is displayed.
The flag should especially be flown on
the following days:
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New Year's Day-
Jan. 1
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Inauguration Day-
Jan. 20
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Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday-
Third Monday in January
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Lincoln's Birthday-
Feb. 12
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Washington's Birthday-
Third Monday In February
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Easter Sunday-
Varies Yearly
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Mother's Day-
Second Sunday in May
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Armed Forces Day-
Third Saturday in May
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Memorial Day-
(half-staff until noon) Last Monday in May
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Flag Day- June 14
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Independence Day-
July 4
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Labor Day- First
Monday in September
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Constitution Day-
Sept. 17
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Columbus Day-
Second Monday in October
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Navy Day- Oct. 27
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Veterans Day- Nov
11
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Thanksgiving Day-
Fourth Thursday in November
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Christmas Day-
Dec. 25
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Any other days proclaimed by the President,
i.e. Presidents' Day, birthdays of states (date of admission) and
state holidays.
The flag is half-staffed (sunrise to sunset) on
the following days:
Displaying the Flag
Bunting
The U.S. flag should never be used as drapery,
never festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds. It should always be
allowed to fall free. Bunting should be used for decoration: First blue,
then white, the red.
Marching
U.S. flag to marchers right (observer's left).
Showing Respect
When the flag is raised, lowered or is passing in a
parade or review, everyone present, except military personnel, should
face the flag and place his or her hand over their heart. Men remove
their hats. Military personnel salute.
Behind a Speaker
When used behind a speaker's platform, the flag, if
displayed flat, should be above and behind the speaker. Use bunting to
decorate a speaker's desk or the front of the platform.
From a Building
When the flag is displayed from a staff projecting from a windowsill,
balcony or building front, the union of the flag should always be at the
peak of the staff unless the flag is half-staffed.
On a Wall
When the flag is displayed horizontally or
vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the
flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. In a window, the
union should be to the flag's right when viewed from outside.
Over a Street
When the U.S. flag is displayed other than from a
staff, it should be displayed flat, or suspended so its folds fall free.
When displayed over s street, place the union so it faces north or east,
depending on the direction of the street.
On a Casket
When the flag is used on a casket, its union should
be over the deceased's left shoulder. Carry the casket foot first. The
flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the
ground.
On a Staff
When the U.S. flag is flown with flags or pennants
of states ,cities or societies, it should always be at the peak. When
flown from adjacent staffs, the U.S. flag should be hoisted first and
lowered last.
Half Staff
On special days, the flag may be flown at half-staff. On Memorial Day it
is flown at half-staff until noon and then raised.
National Flags
When flags of two or more nations are displayed
together, they should be flown from separate staffs of the same height,
and the flags should be of approximately equal size.
In a Parade
When carried in a parade front with other flags, the
U.S. flag should always be to the marching right of the of the other
flags, or to the front and center of the flag line.
-
Do not let the flag touch the
ground.
-
Do not fly flag upside down
unless there is an emergency.
-
Do not carry the flag flat, or
carry things in it.
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Do not use the flag as clothing.
-
Do not store the flag where it
can get dirty.
-
Do not use it as a cover.
-
Do not fasten it or tie it back.
Always allow it to fall free.
-
Do not draw on, or otherwise mark
the flag. -
If soiled, the flag may be washed or dry
cleaned.
-
When torn or frayed but not faded, the flag
may be mended
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A worn or faded flag should be retired with
respect. Fold the flag and place it on a fire. The ashes should be
then buried.
-
Some VFW Posts and other community groups
collect worn flags and conduct a retirement ceremony. Contact us for
further information.
-
Begin by holding the
flag waist-high with another person so its surface is parallel
to the ground.
-
Fold lengthwise. Bring
the striped half up over the blue field.
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Fold lengthwise, again
bringing the blue field back on top of the stripes.
-
Fold the lower right
hand corner to the upper edge to form a triangle.
-
Now fold the triangle
toward the blue field.
-
Keep folding until you
have a triangle with only the blue field showing.
-
There should be 12
folds in all if you did it right. It should end up in a triangle
shape like the revolutionaries' hats.
Suggested Procedures for Disposing of a Faded,
Worn Flag
1. The flag should be folded in its customary manner.
2. It is important that the fire be fairly large and of sufficient
intensity to ensure complete burning of the flag.
3. Place the flag on the fire.
4. The individual(s) can come to attention, salute the flag, recite the
Pledge of Allegiance and have a brief period of silent reflection.
5. After the flag is completely consumed, the fire should then be safely
extinguished and the ashes buried.
6. Please make sure you are conforming to local/state fire codes or
ordinances.
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