Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 13, 1991 TAG: 9102130170
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Joe Kennedy
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
American flags have been highly visible since the United States and its allies went to war in the Persian Gulf. Flag retailers say they've been overrun with orders.
Waving from homes, buildings, cars and even trees and fences, the flag is a symbol of support for those serving in the gulf. But there are rules and customs governing its use.
The universal custom is to display the flag outdoors from sunrise to sunset when the weather is not so inclement as to damage it. All-weather flags are best if you want to leave the flag out at all times. If you display the flag at night, it should be illuminated.
Here are some things to avoid, according to the Flag Code, adopted by the United States Congress:
Never let the flag touch anything beneath it.
The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing.
The flag should never be carried horizontally, but should be aloft and free.
Never hang the flag upside down unless you mean it as a signal of a serious emergency. It is a recognized distress signal.
Don't gather the flag for display - let it fall free.
Do not use the flag as wearing apparel, bedding, drapery, costume or uniform. For draping on platforms and other decorations use blue, white and red bunting, with the blue above, the white in the middle and the red at the bottom.
Never place anything on the flag - no mark, letter, insignia, word, design, drawing or name.
Do not use the flag design in cushions, handkerchiefs, on napkins, boxes or anything that will be discarded after temporary use. It should not be used for advertising purposes.
Here are some other flag customs:
Salute the flag at the moment it passes in a parade. Those in uniform should give the appropriate salute. When not in uniform, a man removes his hat with his right hand and holds it at his left shoulder with his hand over his heart. Men without hats, and women, salute by placing the right hand over the heart.
In a parade with many other flags, carry the U.S. flag alone in front of the center of the line.
In processions, carry the flag to the right of the marchers. When other flags are carried, the U.S. flag may be centered in front of the others or carried to their right.
When the flag passes in a procession, or when it is hoisted or lowered, all should face the flag, stand at attention and salute.
As a color bearer, hold the staff at a slight angle from your body or carry it with one hand, resting the staff on your right shoulder.
The U.S. flag 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 staffs.
When it is displayed from the same flagpole as a flag of a state, community or other group, the U.S. flag must always be at the top, with one exception: A church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for Navy personnel when conducted by a Naval chaplain on a ship at sea.
When the U.S. flag is on display with the flags of other states, communities or societies, staffs should be of equal height and in a straight line with the U.S. flag in the position of honor at the U.S. flag's own right, which is the extreme left as the flags are viewed. The other flags may be smaller but none may be larger, and no other flag should be placed above it.
When flown with the national banner of other countries, each flag must be displayed from a separate pole of the same height, and each flag should be approximately the same size. In time of peace, no national flag may be hung above another.
Hoist the U.S. flag first, briskly, and lower it last, and with ceremony. Salute it as it is raised and lowered. The salute is held until the flag is unsnapped from the halyard or through the last note of music, whichever is the longest.
When displayed with one other flag against a wall from crossed staffs, the U.S. flag should be on its own right. Its staff should be in front of the other flag's staff.
In a window, hang the flag vertically with its union - the stars on the field of blue - to the left of a person viewing it from outside the building.
On a car, the flag should hang free from an antenna or a staff fixed firmly to the car. It should not drape over a vehicle.
If you hang a flag above a street, put the union to the east on a north-south street or to the north on an east-west one.
Hang a flag against a wall either horizontally or vertically with its union at the top of the flag's own right, i.e., the observer's left. It should be above and behind the speaker. Do not gather or drape it on the rostrum. Use bunting.
To display the flag beside a speaker, put it in the position of honor on the person's right. At a religious service, the flag should go to the right of the clergyman or woman who officiates.
In a corridor or lobby, hang the flag vertically opposite the main entrance with its union to the left of a person coming in the door.
In a color guard, keep in a straight line with your escorts on the outside and the flag always to the right of your organizational banner. When used to cover a casket, the U.S. flag should be placed so 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. The flag may cover the casket at any funeral. An armed color guard may accompany the casket of a person who served in the armed forces, but not into the church or chapel.
The U.S. flag should never be used as the covering for a statue or monument.
The flag is flown at half-mast as a national signal of mourning. The flag should be hoisted to the top for an instant before being lowered to half-mast. It should be hoisted to the peak again before being lowered for the day or night. By tradition, the flag flies at half-mast only when the entire country mourns, not for occasions of local mourning.
A national flag should be folded carefully and put away when not in use. The U.S. flag may be given a special military fold. Fold it twice lengthwise to form a long strip with the blue field on the outside. Then, starting at the stripe end, begin a series of triangular folds. Continue until the flag resembles a cocked hat, with only the blue field showing. A flag attached to a staff should be furled or wrapped around the staff, and then cased, or put in a cover.
When the flag is in an unsuitable condition for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning it privately.
If you have questions about anything from Persian Gulf geography and climate to effects on the price of gas or how to write a member of a military unit, call the Mideast Hot Line at\ 981-3313 leave a recorded message. We welcome other contributions - tips for coping, letters and photos from loved ones overseas, ideas for boosting their morale. Send them to\ MIDEAST HOT LINE, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va., 24010. note that items sent to us cannot be returned.
\ SPECIAL HOT LINE FOR KIDS: Feb. 15, children can call their questions about the war or the gulf region to\ 981-3178. answer as many as we can in NewsFun on Feb. 19.
by CNB