This is a complete list of
dates throughout the year on
which you should fly your
U.S. Flag. All should be at
full staff unless otherwise specified.
When to Fly the Flag
- New Year's Day, January 1
- Inauguration Day, January 20
- Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, third Monday
in January
- Lincoln's Birthday, February 12
- Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February
- Easter Sunday (variable)
- Mother's Day, second Sunday in May
- Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May
- Memorial Day (half-staff until noon*), the last
Monday in May
- Flag Day, June 14
- Independence Day, July 4
- Labor Day, first Monday in September
Constitution Day, September 17
- Columbus Day, second Monday in October
- Navy Day, October 27
- Veterans Day, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day, December 25
- Other days as may be proclaimed by the
President of the United States
- The birthdays of States (date of admission)
- State holidays
*On Memorial Day,
the flag should be hung at half-staff until noon, when it should be
raised to the top of the staff.
Pledge of Allegiance
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.
The pledge should be said while standing at attention and facing the
flag with right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should
remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left
shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should
remain silent, face the flag and render the military salute.
The same behavior applies during the raising or lowering of the flag,
or when it passes on parade.
SALUTING
the FLAG Update 04: Traditionally,
members of the nation’s veterans service organizations have rendered the
hand-salute during the national anthem and at events involving the
national flag only while wearing their organization’s official
head-gear. The National
Defense Authorization Act of 2008 contained an amendment to allow
un-uniformed service members, military retirees, and veterans to render
a hand salute during the hoisting, lowering, or passing of the U.S.
flag. A later amendment
further authorized hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans
and out-of-uniform military personnel. This was included in the Defense
Authorization Act of 2009, which President Bush signed on 14 OCT 08. All
other persons present should face the flag, or if applicable, remove
their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder,
the hand being over the heart. Citizens of other countries present
should stand at attention. All such conduct toward the flag in a moving
column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.
Regarding the Pledge of Allegiance another section of federal
code that specifically relates to actions of those reciting the Pledge
was not amended. The Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag (i.e. 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), should
be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand
over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress
with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being
over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag,
and render the military salute. It is the belief of some that
commissioned Officers of the US military, when in uniform, should not
render a salute, nor say the Pledge of Allegiance, but stand at
attention with their hands at their sides until the Pledge is completed.
The alleged reasoning behind this is that Commissioned officers
of the US military are already pledged to a higher "authority" the
Constitution, in their oath of office. I could find no credible
reference to support this belief. The phrase "under God" was added to
the pledge by a Congressional act approved on 14 JUN 54. [Source:
Various Jul 09 ++]
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