Q: What steps should Iowans take to make sure they are properly flying the U.S. flag?
A: Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the American people have united together to mourn those whose lives were lost, to grieve with the victims’ families, to open up their pocketbooks to offer financial assistance and to express hope through patriotic tributes and gestures across the country. A popular and appropriate way to show pride and allegiance to our nation is by displaying the Stars and Stripes. In the last month, American flags can be found virtually everywhere. They’re hanging from our homes, barns, businesses and schools. Flags can be seen running up and down Main Street U.S.A. You see the emblematic red, white and blue lining our lawns and adorning our pets. Flags are fastened to car antennas and screened on T-shirts, scarves and backpacks. However, some folks may not know there are rules regulating proper display of the American flag. According to U.S. Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, the flag should not be displayed during inclement weather, except when an all-weather flag is used. In addition, it also should be displayed: only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and flagpoles unless properly illuminated during the night; either horizontally or vertically against a wall or window as long as the flag’s blue field of stars is on the top positioned to the observer’s left; higher than any other state or local flag hanging or flying next to it; and, aloft and free, never carried flat or horizontally. Do not let the flag touch anything beneath it, such as the floor, water or a table. Flag lapel pins should be worn on your left side near the heart.
Q: When is it appropriate to fly the flag at half-staff?
A: President Dwight Eisenhower first issued the proclamation stipulating the proper length of time for flying a flag at half-staff, suggesting 30 days after the death of a president as an example. To fly the flag at half-staff, flag owners should note that it is recommended to take the flag all the way up to the top of the pole before lowering it half-way. When removing the flag, first hoist it all the way up to the top before lowering it completely. Since the days of the American Revolution, the Stars and Stripes has served as the unifying symbol of our American heritage whose defining principles include freedom, equality and justice for all. As a young student, I remember honoring the flag as the class recited the Pledge of Allegiance each school day. As a U.S. Senator, it is my privilege to serve Iowans in the land of the free and home of the brave. I encourage Iowans to treat the flag with respect and to display it with honor and patriotic regard in memory of our fallen Americans and for those who have fought and will fight to defend all for which it stands.