Order of Flags

[SilentSpectreANG]

Hello there,
I am wondering what the proper order of flags for viewing is with the following flags:

-American
-POW/MIA
-State Flag
-Army
-Marine Corps
-Navy
-Air Force
-Coast Guard

I need to know the order when walking in, and the proper way to "post" the colors on an indoor flag stand.

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

Your order of precedence is correct, except that the POW/MIA flag goes at the end, after the Coast Guard flag. Most of the services' regulations do not assign a precedence to the POW/MIA flag, but the Air Force (AFI 34-1201) states "The POW/MIA flag will always be the last flag in any display."

Best regards,

Peter Ansoff

[SilentSpectreANG]

Thanks for the AFI... that comes in handy!

[Peter Ansoff]

Thanks for the AFI... that comes in handy!

True -- the Air Force instruction is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of the services' regulations. Strictly speaking, it only applies to the Air Force, but (fortunately) all of the services have similar flag-related regs for the most part. It would be great if there were a standard DOD-wide set of flag regulations, but I doubt we'll see that any time soon!

Best,

Peter Ansoff

[Robin Hickman]

.
Just a couple of additional "tid-bits".....

#1 as noted in the AFI, when our nation is at war (declared) the Coast Guard is included as part of the Navy, and the order of Flag precedence changes so that the Coast Guard flag immediately follows that of the Navy's.

#2 Even though the AFI is the most up-to-date (10-04-2006) of the armed services' regulations, like the others (including the Flag Code), it omits Patriot Day (September 11th) as a designated day to fly the Flag AND that it should be flown at half-staff.

Does the Marine Corps have their own "Flag Regulations", or do they just use the Navy's ???


Robin { } Hickman
.

[Peter Ansoff]

Does the Marine Corps have their own "Flag Regulations", or do they just use the Navy's ???

The Marines have their own Flag Manual, MCO P10520.3B.

In addition to the flag regulations themselves, most of the services have separate regulations dealing with honors and ceremonies (salutes, color guards, funerals, etc.) The Army's are AR 600-25, and FM 3-21.5, the Marines' is MCO P5060.20. Interestingly, the Coast Guard uses the Marine Corps instruction. Their COMDTINST M5060.11B is actually the Marine Corps order with a Coast Guard cover sheet added.

Each service also has uniform regulations, which address the wearing of flag patches on uniforms. There are also other regulations that deal with flag display. For example, the Army FM 55-501 (Marine Crewman's Handbook) contains the protocol for flag use on Army ships and watercraft.

Peter Ansoff