Memorial Day 2017: American, Florida Flag Etiquette

Floridians planning to take time out on Memorial Day Monday to pay their respects to men and women in all branches of the military who died serving the country will fly their flags at half-staff in tribute. But, the ritual isn’t quite as simple as raising the flag halfway up the pole and leaving it in place.

There are etiquette rules that apply for flying the American flag on Memorial Day. There are also some rules that apply for how the colors will be presented in ceremonies that will take place across the state this weekend.

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The American flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only on Memorial Day, and then should be raised to the top of the staff. When raising the flag to half-staff, it “should be hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position,” according to U.S. Code Title 4 Chapter 1, Section 7. “The flag should again be raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.”

When you attend a memorial service, you need to know whether to salute Old Glory. During ceremonies when the flag is hoisted or raised, spectators who aren’t in military uniform should face the flag, stand at attention and place their right hands over their hearts. Others should:

• If you’re in uniform, give a proper military salute;
• A man who is not in uniform, but is wearing a hat should take it off with his right hand and hold it at his left shoulder with his palm resting on his heart;
• If you’re not a U.S. citizen, stand at attention.

When the flag advances in a moving column, it is appropriate to salute it as it passes.

If you fly the red-white-and-blue at home, make sure flag is in pristine condition and isn’t tattered and torn, and that its red and white bars and the union (the blue field of stars) are bright and vibrant. 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.

Florida State Flag Rules

The Sunshine State’s official flag includes a white field with a red cross that has Florida’s seal emblazoned at its center. The state seal was revised in 1985 to include a Seminole Indian woman, a steamboat and a sabal palm along with the motto “In God We Trust.”

Florida’s flag is flown daily, weather permitting, on buildings across the state. It may be flown at half-mast as ordered by the governor. It is traditionally flown at half-staff position, along with the American, flag on Memorial Day. Like the American flag, the state’s flag should only be flown at half-staff until noon.

State law prohibits “the placing of any work, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing, or advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, color, ensign, or shield of the United States or of the state of Florida,” according to the Florida Department of State website. “Flags so marked shall not be exposed to public view.” It is also against the law to “mutilate, deface, defile, or contemptuously abuse the flag or emblem of Florida or the flag or emblem of the confederate states in any way.”

For more information about flag etiquette and laws in Florida, visit the department of state online.

— Includes reporting by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey; Source: U.S. Flag Code and MyFlorida.com. Main image via Shutterstock. Florida state flag image via the Florida Department of State website.