U.S. flags wave at DFW National Cemetery, May 30, 2010. Photo by Ed Darrell
Our local Rotary Club provides a U.S. flag planted in your yard for flag-flying events from Memorial Day through Labor Day, for an annual subscription of about $15.00. Local groups, including especially Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, take a route and plant the flags.
As a consequence, our town is loaded with flags on a weekend like this one.
But even if you don’t subscribe to a flag service, please remember to fly your flag today.
Memorial Day honors people who died in defense of the nation. Armed Forces Day honors those who serve currently, celebrated the third Saturday in May. Veterans Day honors the veterans who returned.
On Memorial Day itself, flags on poles or masts should be flown at half-staff from sunrise to noon. At noon, flags should be raised to full-staff position.
When posting a flag at half-staff, the flag should be raised to the full-staff position first, with vigor, then slowly lowered to half-staff; when retiring a flag posted at half-staff, it should be raised to the full staff position first, with vigor, and then be slowly lowered. Some people attach black streamers to stationary flags, though this is not officially recognized by the U.S. Flag Code.
On Memorial Day, 3:00 p.m. local time is designated as the National Moment of Remembrance.
Memorial Day traditionally came on May 30, but now comes on the last Monday in May.
Flag flies at a home in North Carolina’s Outer Banks
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
Bob, I agree with you — except, as I noted, the consequence of the program is that our little town is plastered with flags for Memorial Day, for the Fourth of July, for Flag Day, for Labor Day, and for Veterans Day. It’s not my childhood, when at least every other porch on the block had a U.S. flag hanging (all four houses on our block on Conant Avenue in Burley, Idaho; all eight on our block in Pleasant Grove, Utah, often).
But it’s a nice backdrop.
I save the $15 and post our own, once-flown-over-the-Capitol flag, one I got for my father, who insisted I take it back as he lay dying, to fly it.
Duncanville’s memorial to war dead, an “eternal flame,” is near several churches and the city hall and recreation complex. Citizens purchase flag services for those places, so there is literally a phalanx of more than 100 U.S. flags on some routes leading to the memorial.
My fear: How many think their duty to veterans, and to freedom, is done when they show the flag? I hope those people organize for the elections with their favored party, and I hope they vote and encourage others to vote. I hope they write their representatives in Congress to urge support for veterans who survive the battles and return home. I hope.
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Old fogies? I’d say speak for yourself, Nancy — but you’re right.
Thanks for the link. A kid who played bass trombone in the band with our two sons dropped out of college in Texas to join the U.S. Marine Band (he’ll finish his schooling, but not in Texas). Many students from the Duncanville High bands have turned pro over the years; it’s impressive to see how thorough and selective they are in the military bands, to get the best players.
Hats off to the veterans, and also to the trumpeters and buglers who sound taps; with thanks to the women and men who trained them.
Fortunately I have Kleenex in every room — Dear Reader, you may want to get yours ready before you click over to Nancy’s site. But do click over to read the story.
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Allow me to be just slightly contrarian on flag services such as the one you describe. [Similar available here in Ogden, UT.] I don’t much like them. Seems like contract patriotism. Hiring someone to take care of remembering to post a flag for you on Memorial Day suggests a pretty low threshold of involvement for the individuals paying for the service. What kind of rememberance is involved if you cannot be bothered to put a flag out on the porch pole or on the lawn yourself? [Mine’s up, put there this morning by me, and I, not a contract service, will take it down at sunset.]
Not a big deal, but for-hire flag services for holidays like this one strike me as sort of patriotism on the cheap. Shell out a few bucks and you don’t have to worry about it.
OK. Grumbling done. Contrarian phase over for the day.
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[…] Fly your flag today, Memorial Day 2012 (timpanogos.wordpress.com) […]
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Fly your flag. And go to the parade–or listen to the HS bugler in the cemetery and thank the teacher who prepared him. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_in_a_strange_land/2012/05/for_patriot_dreams.html
Is it only old fogies like you and me who remember?
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