Flying the Flag on Memorial Day and Other Days of Honor
| Category: | Flag Ceremonies |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Based on official flag protocol and Texas laws, this ceremony explains how Scouts should raise, lower, and respectfully handle flags during observances like Memorial Day and Peace Officers Memorial Day. |
Leader: Scouts, today we carry out a duty entrusted to every citizen: honoring the flag—and what it stands for—through correct and respectful display.
The flag does more than wave in the breeze. It signals celebration, mourning, unity, and solemn remembrance. And on days like Memorial Day or Peace Officers Memorial Day, it speaks without words.
Let's remember:
- On Memorial Day (last Monday in May), the U.S. and Texas flags should be raised briskly to the top of the pole, then slowly lowered to half-staff—but only until noon. At noon, both should be raised again to full-staff for the rest of the day.
- On Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), both flags are flown at half-staff for the entire day unless it also falls on Armed Forces Day.
If a flagpole can't properly fly both flags according to these rules, the respectful thing to do is remove the flag display entirely for the duration of the observance.
Proper etiquette also reminds us:
- Raise the flag briskly, lower it slowly and with respect.
- The U.S. flag is never flown beneath another flag on the same pole.
- Historical or foreign flags should not be displayed above or equal to the U.S. or State flag, especially during memorial observances.
Scouts, by honoring these traditions, we honor the people who served, sacrificed, and helped shape the freedom we enjoy. Let our respect fly high—literally and figuratively.
"A Scout is reverent." And today, our flags are our prayer.