ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Why is the American Flag at Half Staff?

Updated on July 6, 2013
The flag at half staff at the USS Utah Memorial.
The flag at half staff at the USS Utah Memorial. | Source

American Flag at Half Staff

It’s common to see the American flag flying at half staff.

Sometimes the reason is clear, as when the flag is flown at half staff to honor our veterans on Memorial Day. But sometimes the reason is unclear, as when the flag was flown at half staff on October 16, 2012 in memory of the death of Arlen Specter by presidential proclamation.

What is the origin of flying the American flag at half staff? When is the flag flown at half staff? How should the flag be flown at half staff? What about state flags? This article answers these questions for anyone who flies the flag at their home or business, or anyone who wants to understand this custom.

Origin of Flying the Flag at Half Staff

The custom of flying the flag at half staff dates back to at least the 17th century. In 1612, the crew of the ship Heart’s Ease flew their flag at half staff to mourn the death of their captain, killed during a search for the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The custom was already known by that time, since it was readily recognized when their ship rejoined their fleet.

Since then, the gesture of flying the flag at half staff has been used as a symbol of mourning, respect and distress. “Half staff” refers to the position of the flag when it is halfway between the top and bottom of a flagpole. This term is often used interchangeably with “half mast”, although the latter term should arguably be used only when the flag is flown from the mast or flagpole of a ship.

The terms “half staff” and “half mast” do not require the flag to be flown exactly halfway between the top and bottom of a flagpole or mast. It is enough that the flag be positioned at least the width of the flag below the top in order to imply that “the invisible flag of death” is positioned above the flag.

For many years, there were no regulations governing the custom of flying the flag at half staff. Thus, the days when the flag was flown at half staff and the methods for flying it so varied widely. But on March 1, 1954, President Eisenhower issued a proclamation to standardize this practice.

When to Fly the Flag at Half Staff

The dates when the American flag should be flown at half staff are determined by federal law, or by order of the President of the U.S. or the Governor of a State. The flag is to be flown at half staff on the following days:

• On Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), unless that day is Armed Forces Day.

• On Memorial Day (last Monday in May) from sunrise to noon.

• On Patriot Day (September 11).

• On the date of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service (the first Sunday in October).

• On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7).

Also, the flag is to be flown at half staff under the following circumstances:

• For 30 days after the death of a current or former President or President-Elect.

• For 10 days after the death of a current Vice President, current or retired Chief Justice, or current Speaker of the House of Representatives.

• From the day of death until the burial of a Supreme Court associate justice, a secretary of an executive or military department, a former vice president, or the Governor of a State, territory or possession.

• On the day of death and the following day for a member of Congress.

• Upon proclamation of the President of the United States, such as remembrance of the 9/11 attacks.

• Upon proclamation of the Governor of a State.

Under the Flag Code, private citizens and non-government buildings can choose to fly their flags at half staff to honor local citizens. For example, a private citizen can choose to fly his flag at half staff to honor the death of a local teacher, sports coach or other community figure.

How to Fly the Flag at Half Staff

On most half staff days, the flag should be flown at half staff from sunrise to sunset. The exception is Memorial Day, when the flag should be flown at half staff only until noon, and then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset.

When the flag is hoisted on a vertical flagpole, the flag should be raised briskly to the top of the pole for a moment before being lowered to its half staff position. When the flag is taken down at sunset, the flag should again be raised to the top of the pole before being lowered to the bottom.

As mentioned, the “half staff” position does not require the flag to be flown halfway between the top and bottom of the flagpole. It is enough for the flag to be positioned at least the width of the flag below the top. If the flagpole is a telescoping pole, the flag may be put on the second set of rings, with the top set of rings being left empty. If the flag cannot be lowered (as with the flags mounted on many homes), a black ribbon or streamer can be attached to the top of the flag as an alternative to lowering it. The ribbon should be the same width as a stripe on the flag, and should be the same length as the flag. If the flag is wall-mounted, three black mourning bows can be attached to the top edge of the flag, with one bow at each end of the top edge and the last bow at the center of the top edge.

Flying Other Flags at Half Staff

Under U.S. law, no flag of a state, city or locality, or pennant of a society, may be placed above the flag of the United States. Thus, whenever the American flag is being flown at half staff, any state or other flags should also be flown at half staff so they are not placed above the American flag.

Flying the Flag

How often do you fly the American flag?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)