Watch Your Flag Etiquette on Memorial Day

If you are going to display the U.S. flag on Memorial Day here are a few tips to remember.

If it will be displayed on a flag-pole, the U.S. flag should be raised to half-staff between dawn and noon on Memorial Day, then dipped and hoisted to the peak until sunset.

At noon, the flag should be lowered all the way, then hoisted to the peak. Unless lighted, it should be taken down at sunset. In rain, the flag should not be flown at all.

When displayed on the same staff with other flags, such as state or county flags, the U.S. flag should be on top. Other national flags should be displayed on a separate staff.

If the flag is to be hung sideways and flat, such as from a house eave, it should be hung so that the blue union is in the upper left hand corner as you face the flag.

On a car, the flag staff should be affixed to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.

Flag pins should be worn over your heart.

When folding the flag for storage, tradition holds that it should be done in a triangular fashion, with only the blue union showing when finished.

It is considered disrespectful to let flags touch the ground, or to drape them over vehicles, wear them like a cape or use them like drapery.

Patch guest editor Anne Louise Bannon contributed to this story.