Brecksville's Handy Homeowner: Memorial Day is a Great Time to Fly the Flag

When I bought my first house, my Dad gave me an American flag and a flagpole. I flew that flag for many years, until it was worn out and faded.

Since Memorial Day is May 30, it’s a good time to display an American Flag on your home.

Flags can be flown from a freestanding flagpole, flown from a pole attached at an angle to a home, or hung flat against a house.

in Broadview Heights sells flagpoles, flagpole brackets and American-made flags and  sells small Amerian Flags for your car.

For proper flag etiquette you can view the United States Flag Code on the Betsy Ross Homepage. According to this website, the Flag Code merely serves as a guide for private citizens to follow on voluntary basis. Here are some of the highlights:

• The flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated at night. Otherwise it should be flown from sunrise to sunset.
• Only all-weather flags should be displayed in poor weather.
• The flag should be displayed on all days, particularly on holidays, including Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half-staff until noon.
• When displayed against a wall, the union (blue background with white stars) should be uppermost and to the observer's left. 
• The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of danger to life or property.
• The flag should never touch the ground, the floor, or water. However, there is no need to dispose of a flag if it does touch the ground.
• The flag should never be worn or used for advertising purposes or as part of a costume or athletic uniform.
• When the flag is no longer in good condition for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, such as by burning.

The City of Brecksville’s website indicates that you can drop off flags for proper disposal at the American Legion Post, 7400 Chippewa Road in Brecksville. The flags will be destroyed during a flag-burning ceremony, which the city's website says "creates a particularly dignified and solemn occasion for the retirement of unserviceable flags."

That’s where I dropped off the tattered, old flag from my Dad. It was hard to let it go, but the flag we fly now has personal meaning as well. It was given to my husband on the day he became an American citizen.