Memorial Day Flag Etiquette: The Right And Wrong Way To Display Old Glory At Half-Mast

All Americans are encouraged to fly their U.S. flags at half-mast on Memorial Day, as this one is at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. But special protocols apply on Memorial Day only.

Flags fly at cemeteries, on town squares and throughout neighborhoods every Memorial Day in a show of respect and gratitude for military personnel who gave their lives in service to their country.

This year’s patriotic tributes are expected to be especially grand. Memorial Day anchors the nationwide kickoff for America’s 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, with events in small towns and big cities that blend traditional military events with historical celebrations.

250th Kickoff Events

Signature events include the National Memorial Day Parade down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., from 10 a.m. to noon, local time, Monday. It’s described by the sponsoring American Veterans Center as a “moving timeline of American history,” with marching bands, musical performances, uniformed service members, veterans, historical re-enactors, celebrities, and Gold Star families.

The annual National Memorial Day Concert on the White House Lawn will honor all American military personnel, from the all-volunteer force that won the American Revolution through modern times.

Revolutionary War battlefields, national memorials, and cultural institutions nationwide are hosting Semiquincentennial tributes and educational programs tied to the nation’s founding, according to the National Park Service.

Among other marquee America250 commemorative events is the National Salute to America’s Heroes Air & Sea Show, Saturday and Sunday in Miami Beach, featuring an aerial show by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, demonstrations of military capabilities, interactive military displays, offshore powerboat racing, and a patriotic concert.

In Los Angeles, Fleet Week runs through Memorial Day at the Port of Los Angeles, with ship tours, a waterfront festival, live entertainment and community activities. It’s billed as Southern California’s largest free Memorial Day weekend event.

Many of the 250th anniversary-linked events are explicitly flag-centered.

Fort Collins, Colorado, is hosting a Memorial Day weekend Field of Honor with 500 full-size American flags, plus America250 banners, service-branch flags, and displays of the 26 American flags used at different points since the nation’s founding.

Idaho Falls, Idaho, will post 1,000 American flags below the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Russ Freeman Park. In El Paso, Texas, volunteers will raise 300 large flags at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, while volunteers at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver will place American flags at the graves of fallen service members.

More events can be found at America250.org.

Memorial Day Flag Etiquette

All Americans are encouraged to show their respect to the nation’s war dead by flying their flags at half-staff.

Anytime a flag is flown at half-staff, it “should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant, and then lowered to the half-staff position,” according to the Flag Code. When retired for the night, it “should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.”

But special protocols are in place on Memorial Day, the most somber of U.S. holidays.

The flag should fly at the half-staff position until noon only, when it is raised to the top of the staff for the remainder of the day.

This custom honors the war dead in the morning, and later in the day, those who have resolved to ensure they did not make their sacrifice in vain.

The custom appears to date back to at least 1906, when an Army regulations book included instructions for the procedure. Congress made it a permanent part of the U.S. Code (Title 4, Section 6) with the proclamation: “For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination.”

Not everyone has a flagpole. On Memorial Day, flags are often mounted from the side of a home, window or balcony. When the flag is mounted either horizontally or vertically, the blue field with stars should be at the upper left, as passersby would view it.

In all cases, make sure the flag is in pristine condition and isn’t tattered and torn, and that its red and white bars and the blue field of stars is bright and vibrant.

How To Properly Fold A Flag

Not everyone flies a flag every day. If you’re one of those people who reserve it for holidays and other patriotic occasions, make sure you fold and store it properly between uses.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides step-by-step instructions on how to properly fold an American flag. Importantly, never allow the American flag to touch the ground. It’s easier to accomplish that with two people, who should hold the flag waist high while folding it.

• Step 1: Fold the lower striped section of the flag over the blue field.
• Step 2: Next, the folded edge is folded over to meet the open edge.
• Step 3: Start a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to the open edge.
• Step 4: Next, turn the outer point inward so it is parallel with the open edge to form a second triangle.
• Step 5: Continue the triangular folding until the entire length of the flag is folded in a triangular shape with only the blue field visible.

Folded flags are typically stored in a triangular flag display case. The important thing to remember, no matter how the folded flag is displayed, is that red and white stripes should not be visible.

Only a section of the blue field of stars, which represent the U.S. states, should be visible.

If the flag is no longer suitable for display, dispose of it properly, preferably in a ceremonial burning. American Legion posts and other veteran groups often have flag-disposal ceremonies.

Memorial Day Service Etiquette



Observing proper etiquette is equally important at Memorial Day services at cemeteries and other venues. When the flag is hoisted:

• Spectators who aren’t in military uniform should face the flag, stand at attention and place their hands over their hearts.

• Those who are in uniform should stand at attention, their heels together, and give a proper military salute by sharply raising the right hand to touch the tip of the right forefinger to the edge of their headgear, keeping their fingers and thumb extended and joined, with the palm facing down. The upper arm must be parallel to the ground.
• A man who is not in uniform but is wearing a hat should remove it with his right hand and hold it at his left shoulder with his palm resting on his heart. Women are not expected to remove their hats unless it’s a ball cap, but they are expected to place their right hands over their heart until the flag passes
• Attendees who are not U.S. citizens are not expected to salute or place their hand over their heart. Instead, standard respectful etiquette dictates that they stand quietly and respectfully while facing the flag.
• When the flag advances in a moving column or parade, civilians should not salute the flag as it passes by. According to the Flag Code. Civilians should instead stand at attention and place their right hand over their hearts. Only members of the Armed Forces and veterans out of uniform should salute as it passes.