20.2 Respect for the Flag

The Flag and the Governing Law

"The United States flag is one of the most enduring and sacred symbols of our country," and "Airmen shall treat it with respect similar to that shown to the highest military and public officials."

Three titles of the U.S. Code govern proper display and respect: Title 4 (Flag and Seal, Seat of Government, and the States), Title 10 (Armed Forces), and Title 36 (Patriotic and National Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations).

The most counterintuitive fact in the section, and therefore among the most tested:

"There is no official meaning for the folds of the flag, and according to DAFI 90-1202 there is no official flag folding script. Although various national interest groups hold flag folding ceremonies, they are not official."

The narrative AFH 1 provides about the flag "is not for official ceremonial use." Within that narrative: the flag was born on June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress determined it would be 13 stripes alternating between seven red and six white, with a union of 13 white stars in a blue field. The 13 horizontal stripes represent the original 13 colonies; the stars represent the 50 states.

The colors are symbolic: red symbolizes hardiness and valor; white signifies purity and innocence; blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

Historical anchors: in 1814 Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner after the shelling of Fort McHenry; in 1892 the flag inspired Francis Bellamy to write the Pledge of Allegiance; and in July 1969 Neil Armstrong planted the flag on the moon.

The Eight Types of Flags

The garrison flag at 20 by 38 feet is the largest, and the interment and storm flags share the same 5 by 9 feet 6 inch dimensions — one in cotton, one in nylon. Those two facts cover most sizing items.

Display Rules

Sunrise to sunset. "The universal custom is to display the United States flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open." However, "when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness," and all other flags should also be illuminated when displayed with it.

Locations. Installations are authorized one installation flag from reveille to retreat, normally in front of installation headquarters, with additional flagstaffs adjacent to each dependent school.

Position and Manner

The governing rule: "The United States flag is always displayed on a stage or in a parade on its own right. In other words, for an audience looking at a stage, the flag is on the audience's left." And "the union (the white stars on the blue field) is displayed at the uppermost, right side of the flag itself."

"The flag's own right = the observer's left" is the single principle that answers nearly every display configuration item.

Half-staff. The term "means the position of the United States flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff." All flags displayed with it fly at half-staff too — except foreign national flags, unless that country has granted permission.

The procedure is a classic item: "When flown at half-staff, the flag shall be first hoisted to the peak for an instant, and then lowered to the half-staff. The flag should be raised to the peak position before lowering at the end of the day." Peak first, peak again before lowering.

Holidays. Among the national holidays AFH 1 lists, Memorial Day is flown at half-staff until noon — the only one on the list with a qualifier.

Care and Respect

Salute rules:

• When in uniform, salute the United States flag six paces before it passes in a procession or parade and hold the salute until it has passed six paces
• "A folded flag is considered cased; therefore, a salute is not necessary"

Six paces before, six paces after is the number to memorize.

Dipping. "Regimental colors, state flags, and organizational or institutional flags are always dipped as a mark of respect to the United States flag. The USAF flag and organizational flags may be dipped as appropriate. The United States flag will not be dipped to any person or thing, and at no time will a foreign national flag be dipped."

Three rules in one passage: other flags are dipped to the U.S. flag; the U.S. flag is never dipped; a foreign national flag is never dipped.

The Prohibited Uses

The flag should never:

• Be displayed with union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property
• Touch anything beneath it — ground, floor, water, or merchandise — or be used to cover a statue or monument
• Be carried flat or horizontally; it is always aloft and free
• Be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery, or be festooned, drawn back or up, or in folds — it must always be allowed to fall freely
• Be fastened, displayed, used, or stored so as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged
• Be used as a covering for a ceiling
• Have any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing placed on or attached to it
• Be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything
• Be used for advertising purposes, and advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which it flies
• Be printed or embroidered on articles designed for temporary use — cushions, handkerchiefs, paper napkins, boxes
• Be displayed on a float in a parade, except from a staff
• Be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle, railroad train, or boat
• Be used as a costume or athletic uniform — however, a United States flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations

Two positive rules within the list: a flag lapel pin, being a replica of the flag, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart, and no other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the United States flag — except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may fly above it.

Disposal: when no longer a fitting emblem for display, the flag "should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning." A flag may instead be retired from service and preserved because of its historical significance, with disposition instructions from the installation honor guard or protocol office.

Service Flag Precedence

Per Title 10, service flags are displayed by order of service date, with the most senior given the position of honor on the far right. The order from their own right (the observer's left):

The National Guard precedes the Army — a fact that surprises most candidates and is therefore heavily tested. Its 1635 date predates the Army by 140 years.

Following the service flags, the order runs: North American Aerospace Defense, U.S. Space Command, major commands (alphabetically), field operating agencies, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, direct reporting units, Numbered Air Forces, and wings (in descending order), and personal/position flags.