About Your Flag
Caring for Your Flag
To keep the rich colors of your flag looking bright, do clean it regularly, before soiling and discoloration from dirt, smoke, dust and other airborne contaminants "set" in the fabric. Outdoor flags may be machine-washed using a mild soap or detergent. Indoor and parade flags should be dry cleaned only.
Only flags made specifically for outdoor use should be displayed outdoors. Do not display the flag in inclement weather. Exposure to rain, snow and high winds can shorten the life of your flag considerably. Should the flag become wet, it should be spread out and allowed to dry completely. Do not fold or roll up a damp flag.
If you display the flag on a stationary pole, keep the pole surface in good condition. The abrasive effects of rust or scale can be most harmful to the flag. A clean, smooth pole surface will provide the least possible resistant to the whipping action of the flag and help prevent fabric damage and premature wear.
How long will a flag last? There is no exact answer. Given proper care it will certainly last longer than if neglected. But regardless of how well it is constructed, a flag is only a piece of cloth and will withstand only so much abuse. Eventually the forces of nature will take their toll.
When your flag is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Flag Calendar
Every day is a great day to fly an American flag! But here are some especially good days:
- New Year's Day
- January 1
- Martin Luther King Day
- third Monday in January
- Inauguration Day
- January 20, every four years
- President's Day
- third Monday in February
- Easter Sunday
- variable
- Army Day
- April 6
- V-E Day
- May 8
- Mother's Day
- second Sunday in May
- Armed Forces Day
- third Sunday 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
- V-J Day
- September 2
- Anniversary of the writing of the "Star Spangled Banner"
- September 14
- Constitution Day
- September 17
- Columbus Day
- second Monday in October
- Navy Day
- October 27
- Presidential Election Day
- first Tuesday in November after first Monday in November
- Veteran's Day
- November 11
- Thanksgiving Day
- fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day
- December 25
Color Meanings
Red stands for hardiness and courage.
White is the symbol of purity and innocence.
Blue is the color of vigilance, perseverance and justice.
When and Where to Display the Flag
On buildings and stationary flagpoles outdoors, the flag should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset. It should not be displayed at all during stormy or rainy weather, unless for some very special reason.
In no case should it every touch the ground. It should be raised with hearty briskness and when lowered, it should be done solemnly and slowly.
The blue field with the stars in the flag should be at the peak of a staff extending from the building front, balcony or window; and next to a pole when extended from a house to a pole at the edge of sidewalk of suspended by a rope.
When the flag is displayed horizontally or vertically against a wall or similar place, the blue field must be at the left of a person facing it; this is also true when used on a speaker's right.
When the flag is displayed over the middle of a street, it is suspended vertically. The blue field points north in a street running east and west, and it points east in a street running north and south.
When the American flag is crossed against the wall with another flag, our flag is on the observer's left and the staff crosses in front of the other flag. When it is flown on the same halyard (rope) with flags of states, cities, societies or clubs, the American flag must be at top. When these other flags are in a group, each flag from its own staff, our American flag must be at the center of highest point. When it is combined with these flags plus a foreign flag, the American flag must be at the right end of the line, that is, to the onlooker's left. During peacetime eras, international usage forbids the display of one national flag above another and all must be equal in height an size. When displayed in our own country, with flags of other nations, the American flag must be the first one hoisted and the last to be lowered.
In a parade or procession with but one other flag, the American flag is at the marching right, but in a line of other flags, the American flag is in front of the center of the line. When mounted on a float in a parade, our flag must be displayed from a staff during the passing of our flag in a parade or while it is raised or lowered, every person present must stand at attention, facing the flag. Men not in uniform should take off their hats and hold them with the right hand at the left shoulder with the hand over the heart. Civilian women salute our flag by placing the right hand over the heart.
On an automobile, the flag may be fastened to a small radiator ornament, or, if on a staff, it may be fastened to the grillwork in front of the car. If it is very tiny, it may be attached to the top of the radio aerial, or the flagstaff may be fastened to the bumper bracket, on the right side as the flag is faced from the rider's seat, as it is on the car of the President of the United States.
In pledging allegiance to the flag, the people face the flag, standing with the right hand over the heart.
In 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was reworded slightly, so it now reads:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
International
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