Places where the U.S. flag is never at half-staff

[snopes]

Every time occasion calls for the President to proclaim that the U.S. flag should be flown at half-staff (as with the recent death of former president Gerald Ford), we start getting inquiries from readers about "the X places where the U.S. flag is never flown at half-staff" (with X varying from about 3 to 6). Answers typically referenced include the Betsy Ross House, the Alamo, the USS Arizona, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the moon.

As far as I know, the moon is the only correct answer (for obvious reasons). In fact, the Fort Hood web site suggests that at three of the sites commonly mentioned (i.e., the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor), the U.S. flag is *always* flown at half-staff.

Anyone have other information about places where the U.S. flag is never/always flown at half-staff?

- snopes

[AnglRdr]

I don't have any information, but thanks for saying "half-staff" instead of the more common, though incorrect, "half-mast."

[Mr. Furious]

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

I don't have any information, but thanks for saying "half-staff" instead of the more common, though incorrect, "half-mast."

Yeah, that bothers me as well, and I wasn't even in the military.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by snopes

Anyone have other information about places where the U.S. flag is never/always flown at half-staff?

I have no information about places where it's never supposed to be flown at half-staff, but I do have a pet peeve about businesses that buy huuuuge flags and then never lower them, no matter what. I haven't seen it since Ford died, and I didn't see it after 9/11, but I remember seeing it after the Oklahoma City bombing, and it really, really bothered me.

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

I don't have any information, but thanks for saying "half-staff" instead of the more common, though incorrect, "half-mast."

My mother taught me the correct term when I was in elementary school. I learned the incorrect one at school.

[Ravenhull]

Though it can be slightly amusing when those businesses with the HUGE flags try to fly at half-staff, but the flag is so large that it ends up being about 3/4 staff to avoid it touching the ground.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Ravenhull

Though it can be slightly amusing when those businesses with the HUGE flags try to fly at half-staff, but the flag is so large that it ends up being about 3/4 staff to avoid it touching the ground.

True. Perhaps the solution would be to buy a less ostentatious flag.

[Sara@home]

Flags at Arlington National Cemetary aren't flown at half staff all the time. They are flown at half staff for a lot of the time, though.

The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each day. Funerals are normally conducted five days a week, excluding weekends.

The webpage for the Tomb of the Unknowns doesn't mention anything about a flag flying there. A quick check of google images doesn't show a flag on a permenent flag pole in the area.

It only takes a visit to the USS Arizona site to see that the flag doesn't always fly at half staff. [ETA]When I hit the site the first time, there was a photo of the memorial with the flag at full staff. I just went back to it and the site has a different photo. Must be one of those changing ones. From the Histroy and Culture page on the site:

Contrary to popular belief, the USS Arizona is no longer in commission. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship. The USS Arizona Memorial has come to commemorate all military personnel killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

Seems if it always flew at half staff they would mention it there.

Another picture[/ETA]

The Betsy Ross House website includes flag code and no mention that it is excluded from that code.

[UEL]

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

I don't have any information, but thanks for saying "half-staff" instead of the more common, though incorrect, "half-mast."

Half mast is the correct term north of 49. Half staff is the incorrect one.

http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/pr...ng/index_e.cfm

[ParaDiddle]

Off the top of my head I was going to answer "Iwo Jima Memorial Statue", but I now see that the flag is attached to a halyard. I can only assume that it is changed periodically and raised/lowered as necessary.

- P

[AnglRdr]

Originally Posted by UEL

Half mast is the correct term north of 49. Half staff is the incorrect one.

http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/pr...ng/index_e.cfm

That is a mast.


This is a staff.

A flag flies from one; a sail goes on the other.

[Em]

Originally Posted by UEL

Half mast is the correct term north of 49. Half staff is the incorrect one.

Half mast is correct down here as well.

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

That is a mast.
This is a staff.

A flag flies from one; a sail goes on the other.

Dictionary.com seems to think that half-mast and half-staff are both acceptable: http://www.answers.com/half-mast&r=67 (besides, mast just means "Vertical pole", as in "radio mast". Unless you are on a ship.)

The British government seem to prefer the term "Half-mast" as well:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/flagflying/faqs.htm#halfmast

Thoguh I have always wondered, as a mast or staff with a flag flying from it is a de facto flagpole, why is it half mast (or staff I guess :P) and not half-pole?

[damian]

In Australia, it is half mast.

What I was told (by various people), that half staff is on land while half mast is on a ship.

[Em]

Originally Posted by Doug4.7

What I was told (by various people), that half staff is on land while half mast is on a ship.

That may well be true in the US, but that isn't necessarily the case elsewhere. As far as I can tell from the sites I've looked at, "half staff" is an Americanism. In fairness, the OP was concerned with the flying of the US flag, so US terminology is appropriate.

[AnglRdr]

I learned the "staff" v. "mast" thing in the Navy.

[Em]

I assume it was the US Navy? A Google search of all defence.gov.au websites (covering Australian Army, Navy, and Air Force) yields several hits for "half mast" and none for "half staff", so it's not just that I'm in the Navy and using the terminology I'm used to.

Removing the defence portion of the search and looking only at *.gov.au sites, there are hits for "half staff", but they appear to be complaints about the lack of manpower available during holiday periods.

[AnglRdr]

Here's what the Department of Defense says.

And here's the law (US, of course).

So, yeah, must be a US v. the rest of the world English thing.

[Em]

Sorry to keep going on about it. I'd never heard of flags at half staff before and was looking it up to satisfy my own curiosity, not to have a go at you or anyone else who uses the term.

[Don Enrico]

Originally Posted by AnglRdr

I don't have any information, but thanks for saying "half-staff" instead of the more common, though incorrect, "half-mast."

Originally Posted by UEL

Half mast is the correct term north of 49. Half staff is the incorrect one.

Originally Posted by damian

In Australia, it is half mast.

Just to add to the confusion from a non-English point of view, the German term is "Halbmast". But then again, a flagpole or staff is always a "Mast" or "Fahnenmast" in German.

Don "hey! multi-quote!" Enrico