Lighting A flag this Memorial day
According to most generally accepted figures, over 1,354,664 US military personnel have died in the line of duty since the fateful day a group of rebellious philosophers decided to defy the British Empire and start their own nation. This Monday, through media, memorials, speeches, and cemetery visits, the nation will attempt to wrap its head around that number. We will be tasked with trying to honor, mourn, reflect, and remember in a way that is genuine and authentic.
Attempts as satisfying that task will look drastically different from household to household and business to business. The burden of our nation has always rested heavier on some shoulders then it has others- such is the noble honor and rarely seen curse of a democracy.
For us at Traditions, we chose as a business to honor by educating. Being a lighting company, we are well versed in the different obstacles that come with trying to properly display something during the night hours. In fact, one of the most common questions we are asked is how to properly light a flag. Because few symbols evoke more feelings of hardship and honoring than the sight of the stars and stripes at half mast, we thought we could share how to keep it lit through the night this Memorial Day.
For starters, there is a set protocol in place for displaying the flag on Memorial Day. At sunrise, the flag is to be raised to the very top of the pole and then slowly lowered to half mast. At noon, the flag should be raised to the top of the pole again to honor those who are still alive, while all other flags remain half raised. Traditionally, the flag then comes back down at sunset.
Most of the questions we get about lighting are from residential clients who do not take their flags down every day and subsequently display them through the night. Such display is allowed under the US flag regulations, so long as it is displayed properly. More information about these specific laws can be found here.
Most residential flags will only need two fixtures to properly light. Only those reaching past the 30-foot mark need to think about three.
For a flagpole that is 12-20-feet tall, two 20-watt fixtures should more than get the job done. If you imagined a circle around the base of the flag, each of the fixtures should line up across from one another so they are spaced out at 180’. The goal is to aim the light at the top of the flagpole. To achieve this, you need to find the best angle for your fixture. Start 6-inches out from the pole and slowly move the fixture outward till you find the angle you like the best. You should be no more than 3-feet away from the pole when you are finished. Try to place the lights in front of the flag if the space around the pole allows for it.
The two lights offer more beam coverage and more angles of illumination on the folds of the fabric. Seeing a flag with lots of dark spaces in the folds is a sign it needs another light at a different angle.
For some, lighting a flag will be their way of remembering, of trying to honor. It is not our right to say if this is enough, or if it the right way to properly express those feelings. That privilege is only for the 1,354,664 people whose voices will be the most silent this Monday. So whether you spend that day with family, in protest, alone, together, or in the silent company of those lost, we hope if nothing else you take a moment to reflect. Reflect that the society that surrounds us today has inarguably been shaped by those people and their sacrifice.
