How many here have an American flag displayed at home?

[jeremy]

Flag Folding

As an Army and Navy custom, the flag is lowered daily at the last note of retreat. Special care should be taken that no part of the flag touches the ground. The Flag is then carefully folded into the shape of a tri-cornered hat, emblematic of the hats worn by colonial soldiers during the war for Independence. In the folding, the red and white stripes are finally wrapped into the blue, as the light of day vanishes into the darkness of night.

This custom of special folding is reserved for the United States Flag alone.

How to fold the Flag


Step 1

To properly fold the Flag, begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.

Step 2

Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.

Step 3

Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.

Step 4

Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open (top) edge of the flag.

Step 5

Turn the outer (end) point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.

Step 6

The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner.

Step 7

When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.

 

[Crystalship1]

I've had one flying 24/7/365 since July 2000 when I bought my house. I was one of the few on my street until 9/11 when many of my neighbors joined me. Now.... I'm back to being one of the few. Sad really.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Those of you that display the national colors... Do you follow "proper" protocol and etiquette? Proper lighting at night? Proper technique of raising/lowering/half-staff? What about proper handling of said flag like was posted by jeremy?

As for me and my house, the only one we have on display was the one draped over my maternal grandfather's casket (Army, WWII, 2Lt, Purple Heart x2 (I think), couple of Bronze Stars, believe he was some kind of forward observer at the Battle of the Bulge)

An honest assessment of my personality tells me that I'm too lazy to properly display the Colors on a pole outside of our house....unfortunately.

-J-

 

[techres]

Those of you that display the national colors... Do you follow "proper" protocol and etiquette?

I follow redneck protocol at best, not military protocol/honors. Would rather fly like a friend than not fly at all.

 

[tenring]

I follow the redneck protocol myself, on the 4th of November, 2008 I turned it upside down and it's been that way ever since. The FBI thinks that is a sign of a militia movement, been waiting for the Feds to come after me ever since.

 

[Lt. Commander]

Update on my flag. The same night I put mine up something happened to it. When I was leaving for work the next morning, I found the flag, pole and 1/2 of the bracket laying on the ground in the driveway. It rained the night before but no sign that it was windy so it is hard to believe the wind broke the bracket. It's spring break and the likelihood that a juvenal delinquent or two walking the street that night found the temptation to vandalize the flag was too much to resist, or a big fat owl tried to perch on the pole and was just too heavy. Either way, I have a new bracket ( aluminum rather than plastic) on it's way. I will have the flag burned per protocol and replace it with a new one....

Scott

 

[Jay]

Those of you that display the national colors... Do you follow "proper" protocol and etiquette? Proper lighting at night? Proper technique of raising/lowering/half-staff? What about proper handling of said flag like was posted by jeremy?

Yes, without exception.

I also render a hand salute to those colors, when appropriate, even though I've been off active duty for over 40 years.

 

[semperfi211]

I fly the American flag over the Eagle Globe and Anchor.

 

[jeremy]

I fly the American flag over the Eagle Globe and Anchor.

At least your 1/2 right!

Go Army!

 

[IndyGunworks]

I have two.... one on both sides of my garage, displayed 24/7 and lit 24/7 with the lights on the garage right below them... i figured i would hang two to make up for NO other flags in the entire subdivision..... i have even offered to install them for people for free if they went and bought them but nobody took me up on the offer. that said when i was overseas all of my neighbors came together and took care of my property mowing the grass collecting mail starting and moving my truck and keeping an eye on my property... to them i have huge gratitude.

 

[Jay]

Go Army! ...........

Well, you do the best you can, with what you've got........

SEMPER FI

 

[csaws]

We are trying to find a suitable flagpole we will then be flying one. We had a flagpole at our house when I was growing up but it was cheap steel and sank in concrete so it eventually broke, found out last summer that you aren't supposed to put a flagpole in concrete as it will eventually snap at the point the pole and the concrete meet. So we are still looking for a good flagpole.

 

[semperfi211]

A great mailbox!!!

 

[Jay]

csaws.... I picked up a 25' aluminum flagpole many,many years ago. I bought a piece of pvc pipe that would just slip onto the flagpole, and after drilling a hole, and placing a 1/4" brass rod through the pvc about 4" from one end, I sunk a 3' piece of it flush into the ground. The pole can be lifted out to mow over it. The brass rod keeps the pole from working deeper into the ground, and the whole thing can be removed if you move with no landscape issues.

 

[RandyMarlar]

We fly The Stars and Stripes 24/7.

Randy

Is it right for another man to rape, rob and murder another? Capitalism says never; democracy says yes -- if the majority wills it.

 

[Armed & Christian]

Flags like these founded this country:

and if you want the FIRST flag of this country:

I am proud to fly a flag that actually represents what this country is. Freedom and Liberty. A flag that emboldens the Constitution and States Rights. Not a federal oligarchy. You can fly your flag to mean whatever you like. Just realize that...

It's like walking around and calling yourself gay when you are happy. Sure it previously meant happy, but today it stands for something completely opposite of what it did originally. Sucks, but that's the breaks Same goes for "old glory". It's been so hijacked and perverted it's beyond repair. I knew a few people in their late 80's who refuse to stop using the word gay to describe their mood. Always makes me chuckle a bit.

Thank you. I mean no disrespect to those who served our country, and I do appreciate their sacrifice. Your oath, however, is to uphold and defend the Constitution; not a flag and not a person. Frankly, I would think that anyone who considers themself a patriot would be disturbed and disgusted with what our nation has become, and would be more concerned with other peoples' character and philosophy than whether they choose to fly one American flag instead of another.

 

[plumber man]

i have a american flag on my flag pole all year in my front lawn down by the pond

 

[Keith_Indy]

Mine is up all year. In a couple of weeks I'm going to get a decent flag pole to mount in the ground and get a bigger flag.

 

[jeremy]

My problem is I need 2 flag poles. One just a little taller than the other. I want to fly the American flag, my wife wants the German flag. No flag poles until they both can be flown. Sigh...

 

[hornadylnl]

My problem is I need 2 flag poles. One just a little taller than the other. I want to fly the American flag, my wife wants the German flag. No flag poles until they both can be flown. Sigh...

Yeah, a grumpy German is a saur kraut