Daywatch: Our flag at half-staff
Good morning, Chicago.
This Memorial Day, assuming you wake up early enough, you may notice the United States flag at half-staff. When you get up matters, because on Memorial Day, and only on Memorial Day, Old Glory flies at half-staff until noon. Afterwards, it’s back to full-staff.
That’s proper flag protocol.
The United States, perhaps you didn’t realize, is rich in flag protocol. In fact, the Tribune’s Christopher Borrelli was talking the other day with James Ferrigan, chief protocol expert for the North American Vexillological Association — vexillology being the study of flags — and he said, “In terms of our flag awareness, the United States is the second most flag conscious country. We have a code for handling the flag, and a national song about the flag, and millions of us pledge allegiance to their flag daily.” In many countries, the national flag is “just window dressing, and not even allowed to be owned by its citizens unless they get permission.”
Being such a flag-friendly population — particularly Chicago, having woven its own starred city flag into more T-shirts than Tommy Hilfiger — I bet many of you have noticed something odd about the U.S. flag lately: It seems to be flying at half-staff all the time. Borrelli explores why this holiday.
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