Memorial Day 2017: American, Maryland Flag Etiquette

Marylanders pausing Monday on Memorial Day to remember men and women in all branches of the military who died serving their country will fly their flags at half-staff in mournful tribute and appreciation for their sacrifices. But the ritual is not as simple as raising the flag halfway up the pole and locking it in place.

Here are essentials to know about proper flag etiquette on Memorial Day, as well as how to properly show respect as the colors are presented in ceremonies being held around the state this weekend.

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.”

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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.

Maryland State Flag Rules

The Secretary of State always presents a state flag to the family of any firefighter or police officer, or sworn member of the Office of State Fire Marshal, who is killed in the line of duty. The flag is presented to the family of the deceased firefighter or police officer by the state senator of the legislative district in which the deceased lived, the law says.

The Maryland flag was adopted as the State flag by an act of the General Assembly in 1904, according to the secretary of state's website.

Divided into four quarters, the flag's first and fourth quarters represent the family arms of the first proprietor of Maryland, George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore, while the second and third quarters of red and white bearing a Greek cross with arms terminating in trefoils display the arms of Lord Baltimore's maternal family, the Crosslands.

When the condition of the Maryland flag is such that it is no longer fit for display, it should be disposed of in the same manner as the U.S. flag, preferably by burning.

When the Maryland flag is displayed within the state, it should occupy the position of honor (to the flag's own right, or the observer's left) after the U.S. flag and the flag of any other nation, and before the flags of other states, Maryland counties and Baltimore City, municipalities, and public or private organizations. 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 Maryland flag

— Includes reporting by Patch Editor Beth Dalbey; Source: U.S. Flag Code
Photo by Steve Moskowitz via Flickr Commons