Honoring the Flag
Today is Flag Day…honoring our national flag, the design for which was approved on this date in 1777 by the Continental Congress. The original idea is credited to Wisconsin school teacher Bernard Cigrand, who in 1885 urged his students to observe June 14 as “flag birthday”…President Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day in 1916…Congress followed suit by permanently establishing National Flag Day in 1949.
There are various rules for displaying the American flag. You know most of them…the flag should never touch the ground, it should be carried aloft not horizontally, it should be displayed from sunrise to sunset unless it is an all-weather flag, and this…the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. That means it must fly higher than any other flag.
That’s why you see the American flag above the state flag, for example, when both are on the same pole…or why the U.S. flag pole is just a bit higher than other flag poles on a site.
It’s a good rule, and one which folks are typically careful to follow. For example, two summers ago at a KXEL event, I was raising a separate flag with the KXEL logo and was cautioned by a veteran who was watching to make sure that our flag did not go higher than the American flag, which was also on the stage.
I have long had concerns about the U.S. flag sharing space with other banners…even if the other “issue based” flags are flying lower, somehow it diminished the impact of the country’s flag. Recognizing various groups or designated months is one thing. Allowing it to circumvent our national traditions in furtherance of some dedicated agenda is another.
It is the most recognized symbol of freedom and positive aspirations the planet has ever seen. And today…and every day…we need to remember that and act accordingly.
