What You Need to Know About the American Flag

When you think about July 4th, what is the first image that comes to mind? Hot dogs, fireworks, picnics, or the American flag? All are symbols of July 4th but the American flag stands for more than the entertainment aspect of this holiday. As we Americans know, our flag is the symbol that represents the people who have lived and died so that we can still fly that flag proudly.

Have you ever imagined how you would feel if after you raised your flag in your yard, someone came along and made you take it down? We would not like it one bit! We are so proud of our men and women giving their lives for our freedom and one of those freedoms is flying our flag.

I remember after 9/11, how the sale of flags sky rocketed. Flags were everywhere, on our porches, our yards and waving from our cars as we drove along. Those flags were there for several reasons. To show that we, the American people, still stood tall and strong as well as to show our respect for our friends, family and fellow countrymen that perished on that horrible day.

As much as we love our flag, we don't always remember how we should take care of it when we so proudly display it. There are distinct rules about displaying your flag and some of them I was not familiar with. For instance, when displaying the American flag on your car the flag needs to be firmly fixed to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.

Secondly, when a flag is flown at half-staff, the flag should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The same process should be used when the flag is lowered for the day.

When a flag is displayed over the middle of the street, the flag should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east/west street and to the east in a north/south street.

Here is one question that many people have. What do you do if your flag is very weather beaten? How do you dispose of it? It simply states in Section 8K of the Flag Code, "The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning". A simple dignified private burning ceremony where you could involve your children, have them say the Pledge of Allegiance and ask each child what freedom and the American flag means to them.

In addition, if you don't want to do this yourself, you can contact your local Elks Lodge (who created the idea of Flag Day, established by President Truman, a member of the Elks Lodge), the American Legion, the VFW Chapter, the Knights of Columbus, or some Boy Scout and Girl Scout troupes. They all can help you dispose of your flag properly.

We all try to instill in our children a sense of pride and a feeling of being thankful for our freedom, but have any of us shared our knowledge of what Old Glory really represents to the American way of life?

I will never forget, when I was a child, visiting an American Military cemetery in Belgium. We stood at the entrance and looked out over acres and acres of white crosses. At each cross there was a small American flag. It was a beautiful sight to see. Even though I was a young child, I remember my parents saying that each flag was in honor of so many men and women that died for our right to stay free. Let's not forget to honor our flag and our freedom. God Bless America!