Flag Day 2017: American, Virginia Flag Etiquette

WASHINGTON, DC — Virginians pausing Wednesday to display the Stars and Stripes on Flag Day 2017 are taking part in a ritual that has its roots in the June 14, 1777, adoption of the American flag by Congress. Patch dug into the history of the day, and has a reminder on how to correctly display both the American and Virginia flags.

A young Wisconsin teacher named Bernard Cigrand is credited with first commemorating the flag's adoption in 1885; and he campaigned for years until President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation for national Flag Day observances in 1916. In 1949, President Harry Truman signed a law designating June 14 as Flag Day, according to the National Flag Day Foundation.

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Here are essentials to know about proper flag etiquette on Flag Day, as well as how to properly show respect whenever the colors are presented in ceremonies. And Military.com has this video on how to display a flag correctly.

The American flag should be displayed from sunup to sundown. The flag may be displayed at night if it is properly illuminated after dark. The American Legion interprets “ proper illumination” as a light specifically placed to illuminate the flag (preferred) or having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer.

When you attend any service where the flag is presented, 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.

Virginia State Flag Rules

There are no prescribed guidelines either in the Code of Virginia or in practice for disposal of the Virginia flag. Guidelines for disposal of the United States flag be followed, if possible. With any method, disposal should be carried out in a respectful manner.

Regulations for the U.S. flag are generally applied to the state flag. The positions of honor in a display of flags are:

• U.S. flag in the position of highest honor (the observer's extreme left or the highest point in a grouping of flags)
• The flag or flags of other nations ranked in alphabetical order
• The Virginia flag

— Includes reporting by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey; Source: U.S. Flag Code

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