Why Are Flags Not Lowered the Entire Day for Memorial Day?

The rest of the day, flags should not be flown at half mast and here’s why.

Yeah, it feels weird to say that phrase on a day that honors the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving for our country in the military. Now if you were up this morning, you might have seen folks flying their American flags at half mast. Which is the proper procedure, this afternoon though bring those flags up to their highest point.

• Memorial Day
• Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. (May 15th)
• Patriot Day. (September 11th)
• National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. (December 7th)
• National Firefighters Memorial Day. (May 5th)

All of those dates, you should be flying your American flags at half mast to honor the men and women who are no longer with us. However, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a different proclamation with Memorial Day. According to the Department of Veterans, from sunrise to noon, the flags is at half mast. At noon, it should be raised to its highest point to show that the country lives on after this sacrifice.

• 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.
• 10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
• From the date of death until interment for an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
• The date of death and the following day of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.
• From the date of death until interment for the governor of a state, territory or possession.