One pole three flags

[edmonster74]

We have one flag pole and three flags that are displayed correctly. US on top, organization next, safety flag on the bottom. My question is, do we remove the other flags when ordered to fly the flag at half staff?

[Peter Ansoff]

edmonster74: do we remove the other flags when ordered to fly the flag at half staff?

In theory, there's no reason that you couldn't half-staff all three flags. However, this may cause problems in practice if your pole isn't tall enough to keep the lowest flag clear of the ground. In that case, it would make sense to remove one or both of the other flags.

Regards,

Peter Ansoff

[wrnorthouse@msn.com]

What is the proper way to fly the U.S. flag and a service club's flag on the same flag pole?

[american_flag_uk]

hi there wrnorthouse - welcome to American flag forum!

always have you US flag to the top of the pole and the other flag beneath it..
in almost all cases the US flag goes at the top of the pole whatever the other flag might be.
of course this is not the way to display 2 national flags- ud need 2 seperate poles to do that at equal height.

[Harriss]

I have a similar question. Where can I locate policy/protocol for flying a (student organization) flag along with the USA flag? We have been requested to fly the LGBT flag during an event on campus, below the U.S. flag.

[Peter Ansoff]

Where can I locate policy/protocol for flying a (student organization) flag along with the USA flag? We have been requested to fly the LGBT flag during an event on campus, below the U.S. flag.

Hi!

The protocol is very straightforward. If you have only one pole, the US flag goes above the LGBT flag. If two equal-height poles, the US flag goes on its own right (on the left as viewed from the front). If one pole is higher than the other, the US flag goes on the higher pole.

Peter Ansoff

[Harriss]

Thank you! Are there any restrictions on the TYPE of flag that is flown, as long as it is below the US flag?

[Peter Ansoff]

Are there any restrictions on the TYPE of flag that is flown, as long as it is below the US flag?

The only one I can think of (and which has been discussed elswhere in the forum), is that the flag code discourages advertising on a pole flying a US flag. I'd interpret this to mean that it's bad form to fly a flag that says "Big Car Sale Today", or something like similar, the same pole. There's no problem with flags of corporations, organizations, schools or anything like that.

Also, the other flag should not be bigger than the US flag.

Flags of other nations, and of international organizations like the UN, are a special case. They should always be flown at the same height as the US flag, and should be roughly the same size. (The last part can get tricky, because not all national flags have the same official proportions. The flag of Great Britain, for example, is longer and "skinnier" than the US flag.) When displayed with other national flags, the US flag goes on the right (viewer's left), and the others follow, usually in alphabetical order, from right to left.

Peter Ansoff