Flag at Half-Staff?

Question

When I went to work today (9/11/2006), I saw the flag at half staff. I asked at the front desk, "Who died?" They said it's at half staff because of 9/11. I said, "But those people died five years ago."

Has the American flag ever been at half staff before due to an anniversary? How about the anniversaries of (a) Pearl Harbor; (b) President Kennedy's assassination; (c) President Lincoln's assassination; (d) Martin Luther King's assassination; (e) the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana; (f) Christ's crucifixion; (g) the sinking of the Titanic; or (h) any other anniversary?

If all these answers are no, then what's different this time?

Answer 1

The flag should always be flown at half-mast on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. It is also flown half-mast by proclamation of the President of the United States.
The President proclaimed today as a national day of remembrance and as such the flag was ordered at half-mast.

Answer 2

The president requested that the flag be at half staff for 9/11.

Answer 3

If America is like Canada, flag-lowering is not what it used to be. To make up for their cuts to the miltary, the last government lowered the flag on parliament every time a soldier was killed in Afghanistan, which was not the previous practice. They also lowered the flags on every federal building on the anniversary of the massacre of 13 women in Montreal - an honour which not even our war dead get on November 11th.

Answer 4

people, no remember how properly-intentioned, are not meant to fly the flag at a million/2-mast except it rather is authorized with the help of the President, a state Governor, or the Mayor of the District of Columbia. it rather is with the aid of fact if every person flew the flag at a million/2-mast on each occasion they needed, the act could lose its meaning. contained regarding 9/11, it rather is authorized. That day has been particular Patriot Day with the help of the president and flying the flag at a million/2-mast isn't purely appropriate, it rather is predicted.

Answer 5

In Ohio, the Governor of the State ordered the flags be flown at half-staff (maybe he was referring to the State Flag of Ohio and city flags). All of our flags- US and Ohio are at half-staff today.

I think 9/11 is something "special" that affected everyone. Since we are commemorating the events of that day, the flags are at half-staff to honor those who lost their lives.

Answer 6

Actually yes the flag is suppose to be at half staff on the anniversaries of these things. Anytime their is a national tradegy the flag is suppose to be at half staff♥

Answer 7

You must remember that what happened 5 years ago was the first terrorist attack of mass destruction on American soil EVER. Besides the lives that were lost, countless others were injured to the point of being permanently handicapped. Besides those whose souls were lost, we are remembering all those whose lives changed because of the attack. I hope they ALWAYS lower the flag on 9/11 so that we never forget! God bless!

Answer 8

I think people have really gotten into the whole morning thing. I don't remember ever seeing a flag at half-staff for memorial. Your right it is for a death. Do we really have to keep putting ourselves thru this?

Answer 9

The flag is flown at half-mast upon order of the President.


I stand corrected...here's a link:

http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html