(b) Manner of
hoisting
The flag
should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
(c) Inclement
weather
The flag
should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when
an all weather flag is displayed.
(d) Particular
days of display
The flag
should be displayed on all days, especially on:
New Year's
Day, January 1
Inauguration
Day, January 20
Lincoln's
Birthday, February 12
Martin Luther
King Jr's Birthday
Washington's
Birthday, third Monday in February
Easter Sunday
(variable)
Mother's Day,
second Sunday in May
Father's Day
Armed Forces
Day, third Saturday in May
Memorial Day
(half-staff until noon), the 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
Veterans Day,
November 11
Thanksgiving
Day, fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day,
December 25
Birthdays of
States (date of admission)
State holidays
Election Days
and such other
days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States
(e) Display on
or near administration building of public institutions
The flag
should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of
every public institution.
(f) Display in
or near polling places
The flag
should be displayed in or near every polling place on election days.
(g) Display in
or near schoolhouses
The flag
should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse.
Section 175.
Position and manner of display
The flag, when
carried in a procession with another flag or flags, should be either on the
marching right; that is, the flag's own right, or, if there is a line of
other flags, in front of the center of that line.
(a) The flag
should not be displayed on a float in a parade except from a staff, or as
provided in subsection (i) of this section.
(b) The flag
should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a
railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the
staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
(c) No other
flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the
right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church
services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be
flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy.
No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national
or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence
or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place
within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided,
That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the
practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in
a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in
positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United
States at the headquarters of the United Nations.
(d) The flag
of the United States of America, when it is displayed with another flag
against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the flag's own
right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag.
(e) The flag
of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest
point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or
pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from the staffs.
(f) When flags
of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the
same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be
at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the
United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or
pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United
States flag's right.
(g) When flags
of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate
staffs of the same height. The flags should be approximately equal size.
International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that
of another nation in time of peace.
(h) When the
flag of the United States is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally
or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the
union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag
is at half staff. When the flag is 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.
(i) When
displayed either 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.
When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way,
with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
(j) When the
flag is displayed over the middle of the street, it should be suspended
vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the
east in a north and south street.
(k) When used
on a speaker's platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed
above and behind the speaker. When displayed from a staff in a church or
public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the
position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the
position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the
audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the
clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.
(l) The flag
should form a distinctive feature of the ceremony of unveiling a statue or
monument, but it should never be used as the covering for the statue or
monument.
(m) The flag,
when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant
and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised
to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag
should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of
the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff
upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the
Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their
memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries,
the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential
instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or
practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present
or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession
of the United States, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession
may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff. The flag
shall be flown at half-staff thirty days from the death of the President or
a former President; ten days from the day of death of the Vice President,
the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the
Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until
interment, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory,
or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of
Congress.
As used in
this subsection -
(1)
the term "half-staff" means the position of the flag when it is one-half the
distance between the top and bottom of the staff;
(2)
the term "executive or military department" means any agency listed under
sections 101 and 102 of title 5; and
(3)
the term "Member of Congress" means a Senator, a Representative, a Delegate,
or the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.
(n) When the
flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at
the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the
grave or allowed to touch the ground.
(o) When the
flag is suspended across a corridor or lobby in a building with only one
main entrance, it should be suspended vertically with the union of the flag
to 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 with the union to the north, when entrances are to the
east and west or to the east when entrances are to the north and south. If
there are entrances in more than two directions, the union should be to the
east.
Section 176
Respect for flag
No disrespect
should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should
not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and
organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
(a) The flag
should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire
distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
(b) The flag
should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor,
water, or merchandise.
(c) The flag
should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
(d) The flag
should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should
never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, 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.
(e) 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 in any way.
(f) The flag
should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
(g) The flag
should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it
any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any
nature.
(h) The flag
should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or
delivering anything.
(i) 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 discard. Advertising signs
should not be fastened to a staff of halyard from which the flag is flown.
(j) 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.
(k) The flag,
when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for
display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Section 177.
Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag
During the
ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the flag is passing in a
parade of in review, all persons present except for those in uniform should
face the flag and stand at attention with the right hand over the heart.
Those present in uniform should render the military salute. When not in
uniform, men should remove their headdress with their 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 flag passes.
