Flags Flanking a Stage

[EmailPoster]

Thank you for having this site....

Thank you for having this site. I work for the Department of Veterans
Affairs and set up many activities for our dept. Most times we are
inside with the flags flanking a stage, with the US flag on it's own
right and the VA flag to the left side of the stage. What is the order
of standing for other flags that are displayed at events? We display the
US flag, VA flag, and many times Military Branch flags, State flags,
POW/MIA flag and at times service organization flags (American Legion,
VFW, etc.) What is the correct order to display these? Is there some
protocol which side of the stage each of these go?

[sarahw]

When place on a stage, the American flag is normally placed to the right of the speaker when he or she is facing the crowd, or, in other words, on the far left of the stage. All other flags should be to the right of the American flag, from the point of view of the audience.

The order of flags is pretty simple. First, the American flag, followed by flags from any other nation, in alphabetical order by their names in English. Then the state flags, with the host state's flag going first and then other states in order of admission to the Union (if your history's a little fuzzy check out this site), followed by any territorial flags (Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico).

After that should be the military flags, in the order that they were established (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard). After that the remaining flags (POW/MIA, the legion flag, etc.) can go in whatever order you like. Perhaps if one organization is hosting the event you could put their flag first and then have the others follow, or you could devise a method for putting them in a particular order and stick with that for the sake of consistency.

I hope this helps!

Sarah

[gifron]

The situation is that there is a stage with a speaker, and an audience at a lower (floor) level. There is a US flag, and another flag. The flags are on the audience level. Should the US flag be to the right of the audience in this case, or to the right of the speaker? My understanding has always been that the flag should be to it's own right - If on the stage, to the speaker's right; if on the floor, to the audience's right.

[hyteresaw]

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[SkipHughes]

I have a 2 questions concerning a variation on the theme Flags Flanking a Stage.

A local organization displays two sets of flags on a wide stage: US ("US") flag and the Organization ("ORG") flag. One set stage left, one set stage right, podium center stage.

The audience views the flags thusly: US-ORG podium ORG-US

1. Is it proper to display two sets of flags on a stage (my guess is YES).
2. If "Yes" to question #1, is the set on stage right displayed properly? (my opinion is NO: the US flag should be on its own right when displayed with another flag regardless).

I'm assuming the Organization arranged the flags that way for balance, but I've always wondered if it was proper flag etiquette.

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi, Skip!

1. Is it proper to display two sets of flags on a stage (my guess is YES).

I agree -- the more flags, the better! (-; Seriously, there's no reason why not. It doesn't violate any aspect of flag etiquette, and "proper" is pretty much in the eye of the beholder in that case.

2. If "Yes" to question #1, is the set on stage right displayed properly? (my opinion is NO: the US flag should be on its own right when displayed with another flag regardless).

The flag code doesn't address this situation, except to say that the US flag should be on the right of any other flags. This is a bit of a judgement call: do you view the two sets of flags as two different displays (one on each side of the stage), or all together as one display? I'd go for the latter, which would give you US-ORG-stage-US-ORG. If you wanted to get pedantic you could do US-US-stage-ORG-ORG, but I don't think that that would look as good.

The thing to remember about flag etiquette is that it's just a set of guidelines on how to display the symbol of our country in a respectful and consistent way. If you're doing that, it's probably OK. IMHO, people tend to get way too wrapped up in the intricate details and overlook the real point.

Best,

Peter Ansoff

[SkipHughes]

Thanks Peter for your quick response. The display in question is defilnitely respectful and attractive. I'm probably the only person in town picky enough to even question it. I'm content to see the organization continue as they have been and won't fuss at them at all. But I had to ask.........