Posted on 06/14/2004 5:23:18 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Spirit of mourning reflected in Flag Day guidelines By RAY GLASS AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
U.S. flags will continue to fly at half-staff today in tribute to former President Ronald Reagan, but Americans celebrating Flag Day are not required to follow those guidelines with flags flown at homes and businesses.
"It's not required, but most people do anyway," said Jerry Dickson, chaplain of American Legion Post No. 575 in Lubbock.
He acknowledged that many U.S. flags mounted on homes and porches are not adjustable on their staffs.
It has become accepted practice in that situation to attach a black mourning ribbon or streamer to the staff at the top of the flag. The ribbon should be the same width as a flag stripe and same length as the flag.
President George W. Bush ordered U.S. flags on federal buildings and grounds, embassies, military facilities, stations and naval vessels and the White House flown at half-staff for 30 days following Reagan's death June 5.
That period includes Flag Day today and the Fourth of July.
Americans nevertheless are urged to proudly fly their red, white and blue flags today.
"It's a signal of freedom to me. We encourage everybody in Lubbock to fly the American flag," said Jane Garrett, regent of the local Nancy Anderson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Many local businesses also will observe the 227th birthday of the stars and stripes, which was adopted in 1777 by the Continental Congress as the official U.S. flag.
American State Bank, for example, will fly U.S. flags at seven bank locations today and will hand out flag stickers with each transaction, said senior vice president Susie Moore.
Boy Scouts troops in the South Plains Council will put flags at homes and businesses today as part of their fund-raising flag routes. The scouts will place more than 2,000 flags in the Lubbock area, said Stephen Warren, senior district executive of the 20-county council.
The American Legion often has a Flag Day ceremony to destroy damaged, wind-blown and weathered flags it has received during the year. Dickson said that ceremony will be held later in the week.
Flag Day began as an 1885 classroom commemoration in a Fredonia, Wis., public school. It was officially established by proclamation in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. It became a national observance by an Act of Congress in 1949 and was signed into law by President Harry Truman.
Dickson said Flag Day is an "expression of love for our nation" and an opportunity "to educate people on the true meaning of the flag."
"People have become a lot more aware of the etiquette surrounding the flag since 9/11," he said of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. "I get calls many times a week from people asking the proper way to handle a flag."
ray.glass@lubbockonline.com 766-8745
...Good post. Glad to see folks are asking about the proper way to fly the flag. Civics is a good thing to learn...
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