Memorial Day In Havre de Grace: Things To Know About Flag Protocol

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — Whether Havre de Grace residents are attending a Memorial Day service or proudly flying their U.S. flags in tribute to the nation’s war dead, protocol matters.

Two ceremonies will be held in Havre de Grace this year for Memorial Day, as is tradition — one at 9 a.m. at Angel Hill Cemetery and another at 11 a.m. at Tydings Park.

The origins of Memorial Day trace back more than 150 years to the final days of the Civil War. Because of the availability of flowers in the spring throughout the South, ceremonies honoring soldiers killed in battle were held in the spring.

The term "Memorial Day," which had been used as far back as the 1880s, became increasingly popular after World War II. Congress made the name official in 1967; and Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971, when the observance was moved to the last Monday in May.

Each Memorial Day, special flag protocol is observed.

The flag should fly at the half-staff position until noon only, and then be raised to the top of the staff for the remainder of the day. This custom, unique to Memorial Day, honors the dead the morning of Memorial Day, but then the flag is raised to full-staff at noon by the living, “who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all," according to the VFW Auxiliary.

The custom appears to date back to at least 1906, when an Army regulations book included instructions for the procedure. Congress made it a permanent part of the U.S. Code (Title 4, Section 6) with the proclamation: “For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination.”

Not everyone has a flagpole. On Memorial Day, flags are often mounted from the side of a home, window or balcony. When the flag is mounted either horizontally or vertically, the blue field with stars should be at the upper left, as passersby would view it.

In all cases, make sure the 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.

Observing proper etiquette is equally important at Memorial Day services at cemeteries and other venues. When the flag is hoisted:

• Spectators who aren’t in military uniform should face the flag, stand at attention and place their hands over their hearts.
• Those who are in uniform should give a proper military salute.
• A man who is not in uniform, but is wearing a hat, should remove it with his right hand and hold it at his left shoulder with his palm resting on his heart.
• Attendees who are not U.S. citizens should stand at attention.
• When the flag advances in a moving column, it is appropriate for all persons to salute it as it passes.

Flying a flag at half-staff isn’t as simple as hoisting it halfway up the flagpole, even on days other than Memorial Day. For specific guidance, go to U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7.

Anytime a flag is flown at half-staff, it “should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position,” according to the Flag Code. When the flag is retired for the night, it “should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.”