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I am trying to find out why the flag goes up at sunrise and must come down at...

Originally Posted by DBCARABINE

I am trying to find out why the flag goes up at sunrise and must come down at
sunset.

Hello DBCARABINE,

This question can be answered at The Boy Scouts of America site (under Flying the Colors) http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=xx&c=ds&terms=flag&x=0&y=0

and on the Virginia Veterns of Foreign Wars site ( a little down the page under Flag Etiquette)
http://www.vfwpost1503.org/flag_education.html.



Both sites say that it is proper (under the U.S. Flag Code and Public Law 94-344) "to display the U.S. flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and stationary flagstaffs in the open, but when a patriotic effect is desired the flag may be displayed 24-hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness."


The last line makes me think that the USA flag is traditionally raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset due to night falling and the flag being hidden in the dark. Since it can be shown "24-hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness" I think that the American flag is raised and lowered as a way of showing it respect and value. If people can't see something due to darkness they usually forget about it and it has no meaning to them. A flag could become something just hanging there in the dark and would not be a symbol of America's pride, history, or value anymore.


Please add to this post if anyone has additional thoughts !

I hope I helped :-)


With serenity,


Mary

My son said that in school he was taught that the flag had to be taken down by 5pm. Is this true? I thought it was by sunset, when it was getting dark. We live in Texas so it stays light pretty late but I take my flag in by 7pm. Am I doing it wrong?