Flag Day on June 14 celebrates ‘living symbol of America’
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — After 27 years in the Army, including a tour in Iraq — where she lost a soldier — there are a few things that irritate retired Sgt. Major Lori Greco, especially when it comes to the American flag.
“The flag is the living symbol of America and what we’ve paid for our freedom,” she said. “And, my gosh, we need to treat it and honor it properly.”
With Flag Day on June 14, Greco pointed out it’s a perfect time to look at how each of us treats the flag. As an Army veteran, Greco understands the importance of the flag.
“You have to give (people) credit for putting the flag up, but they leave it up until it’s shredded,” Greco said. “Doggone it, it’s important to do it right.”
Much of American flag etiquette dates from the early days of the country. Though the exact creator of the flag isn’t truly known, many credit Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey congressman and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, as the designer of the first American flag. The flag has since undergone several changes to the number of stars and stripes (15 in 1795 and back to 13 in 1818) and its proportions.
Flag Day is for honoring the flag on the anniversary of its adoption: June 14, 1777. The first Flag Day is traced back to a Wisconsin school in 1885, when B.J. Cigrand, a classroom teacher, led the students of Fredonia Public School District 6 in celebrating June 14 as “Flag Birthday.” The celebration drew media attention over the course of several years as the district continued to celebrate the day.
Eventually, the practice spread, and the day became known as Flag Day. In 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
But with celebrating the flag comes a responsibility to treating it right and using proper flag etiquette. There are certain ways to display the flag. When doing so vertically, the blue field is placed at the top and to the viewer’s left.
When hung from a pole with state or municipal flags, the U.S. flag must be placed in the center and higher than the other flags.
There’s even a protocol for displaying it on certain days such as Memorial Day.
“On Memorial Day, the flag goes all the way up, and then you lower it to half staff in the morning,” Greco said. “Then, at noon, everybody should reflect on what Memorial Day means. Following that reflection, the flag is then returned to full staff. But very few people do that.”
When a flag is worn or frayed, the etiquette calls for a particular way of retiring it.
Mike Dyer, a former Navy ordnanceman who served during the Vietnam War, cringes when he sees a tattered American flag still flying.
“The flag represents the country,” he said. “And you should be respectful of the country. I get upset when I see people not flying it properly, or they have a tattered flag flying.”
Dyer said the Veterans of Foreign Wars, of which he is a member, offers the community a place to drop off worn or damaged American flags so they may be properly disposed of.
“We have a protocol for taking care of those flags,” he said. “You just have to drop it off, and we’ll take care of it.”
Some people just might not fully understand the significance of the American flag. Greco, who has traced both sides of her family back to the American Revolution, said the American flag is more than a piece of ornamental cloth.
“It’s about pride in your community and pride in this country,” she said. “The flag represents this country and all the sacrifices that went into it. Peace is nothing. Freedom though, freedom is tough.”
daniel@thepicayune.com