Half-staff American flag

[pmb]

It seems like the flag has been flying at half-staff a lot recently. I haven't been able to dig up any data on how often this has been the case, so I'm asking you all: Do you know of any reference where I can see when, for the past few years, the flag was to be flown at half-staff? I see it so often that we are either living in extremely tragic

Comments

[triath]

I've wondered the same thing. I look forward to seeing your results.

[amoken]

There are tons of places that do it on a more local basis. For example, if a local girl is murdered, the town may lower the flags. I've even seen one fire station in one town, and no other buildings, lower the flags to half-mast because a firefighter from that station died (I asked around that time).

[mrsmalkav]

for you, it's a fallen soldier

[keturn]

There have been over twenty press releases like that one from the govenor's office in 2007 so far.

[mary919]

For the national proclamations you can look through the proclamation archive .

I remember when the flag flew at half-staff because Ford died one day in carpool lane we were all watching the kids put the flag up and none of us could remember why it would be at half-staff. Shameful :). It was at half-staff for a month at that time.

Also, a state Governor can make a proclamation for a state-- I haven't tried to find those. I'd like they're all probably on the state gov's website somewhere.

[mary919]

WHOA. Ford died one day in carpool lane!?! Flags should be half-staffed for that!

Let me try again:

I remember one day in carpool lane, we were all watching the kids put up the flags and none of us could remember why the flag was at half-staff. It turns out it was in mourning for President Ford. We were all ashamed. The flag was at half-staff for a month at that time.

[clipdude]

We are living in a tragic time that began March 2003.

[clipdude]

Which is a subset of another tragic time that began September 2001.

[bonboard]

Of course that tragic time didn't really begin then, either, nor did it begin on January 20th 2001, or January 17th 1995, or June 5th 1967, or May 14th 1948...

[clipdude]

It's a bunch of nested tragedies... yikes!

But I think the recent tendancy to see the flag at half-staff is partly--if not mostly--due to our involvement in Iraq.