Displaying the U.S. flag properly

Under the cloak of darkness awhile back, my sister-in-law skulked onto the property of an abandoned house and removed a torn and tattered flag from the flagpole.

Day after day she had ridden by the property and the sad condition of the American flag left dangling on the pole had simply “ticked” her off. She decided to do something about it.

Who knew she was such a closet patriot?

As Veterans Day approached this week, I thought about her small moment of patriotism and stopped to consider the day as being more than a day off from school for the kids or an extra day to rake leaves.

I called Galen Cole, who is perhaps the state’s most dedicated veteran.

I talked to him about a few common mistakes we, as homeowners, may make as we display the flag and a little about the upcoming Veterans Day festivities in town.

The most common mistake we make, he said, is not paying attention to the condition of the flag. A faded, torn or dirty flag should be removed and perhaps replaced. According to the Web site ushistory.org, it is OK to hand-wash a dirty flag and it is OK to mend a flag that has been torn.

“If you have a flag hanging from your house and you don’t think you could put it on a pole and parade it down the street in your Sunday best, then it’s probably time to replace it,” said Cole, founder of the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor.

Despite what we heard as children, you don’t have to burn a flag that accidentally touches the ground. A flag that gets dirty can be gently washed by hand. Today’s flags are mostly weather-proof and therefore can be displayed in inclement weather.

A worn flag should be burned and homeowners can contact their local Elks Club, VFW or even Girl or Boy Scout organizations for help in the disposal of tattered American flags.

It is still preferred that a flag be illuminated at night or taken in at sunset.

Is it half-mast or half-staff? Apparently, it’s either-or depending on what Web site or dictionary you look at. On the Google search engine, there are 838,000 references to half-mast flags and 649,000 references to flags flown at half-staff.

Here’s what The Associated Press Stylebook says: “On ships and at naval stations ashore, flags are flown at half-mast. Elsewhere ashore, flags are flown at half-staff.”

A flag flown on a home on a typical slanted pole can be flown on either side of the front door.

When a declaration of half-mast or half-staff has been declared by either the president or a state’s governor, a flag on a slanted pole should be dropped to a 90-degree angle.

Cole, who most recently was honored with a WLBZ-TV’s Those Who Care Award, has dedicated his adult life to honoring veterans. He does so in countless ways, but perhaps none as important as his mission to educate young people about the sacrifices made by those who have served their country.

This year alone 5,000 students will go through the Cole Land Transportation Museum and all will have been educated by veterans from all over the state who volunteer their time to Cole’s mission.

As of today, the museum has donated about 1,550 flags to about 100 communities. Have you been through Carmel or Etna lately? Through its Flag Memorial Project, the museum donates 24 flags to any community wanting them that agrees to purchase 24 more so that each community displays a total of 48 flags.

Today this country is mired in political discord. There are those who support the war in Iraq and those who don’t. I wondered how that may affect the displaying of the American Flag on Veterans Day.

If you are against the war or in disagreement with the Bush-Cheney administration, should you still display the flag? Does it symbolize some sort of compliance?

“The proper respect and display of the flag honors this country, not just in the past eight years, but the entire history of this country and the platform on which it was built,” Cole said. “It is testimony to the respect of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have fought and died for our freedom of speech and right to vote. It has nothing to do with a political party or any agenda. It’s about the veterans.”

On Monday it is expected that more veterans will march in the parade than in any other Veterans Day parade in Bangor’s history. Just recently this area’s Vietnam War veterans have started to feel welcomed and appreciated.

The gratitude for those veterans who march becomes just a bit more obvious in each parade.

“The clapping is simply continuous from the beginning to the end” of the parade route, Cole said. “Veterans Day it’s colder and people have gloves on, so it might not be as loud as it is on Memorial Day or on the Fourth of July, but the gratitude is still clear and it means the world to the veterans.”

It’s supposed to be a pretty good day on Monday, but chilly. I think it might be worth it to take off the mittens and gloves long enough to ensure that all of the veterans marching can hear a loud and clear round applause.

And despite your political views on the Bush administration, Congress or the war in Iraq, it might be a decent time to take out that flag and display it – properly of course – unless you want a short little dark-haired woman skulking about your front yard.

Renee Ordway can be reached at rordway@bangordailynews.net.