Early this summer, the Texas legislature passed a bill that codifies a protocol for folding the flag, and now Texans have an official method for folding the Lone Star Flag.

Authored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, and Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, the legislation goes into effect September 1, 2009.

SECTION 1.  Requires that this Act be known as the Rod Welsh Act, in honor of Rod Welsh, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Texas House of Representatives, who is primarily responsible for developing the method of folding the state flag of Texas established by this Act.

SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 3100, Government Code, by adding Section 3100.073, as follows:

Sec. 3100.073.  FOLDED STATE FLAG.  (a)  Provides that the state flag should be folded as follows: fold the flag in half lengthwise with the red stripe facing upward, fold the flag in half lengthwise once more, concealing the red stripe on the inside of the fold,  position the flag with the white star facing downward and the blue stripe facing upward,  fold the corner with the white stripe to the opposite side of the flag to form a triangle, continue folding the corners over in triangles until the resulting fold produces a blue triangle with a portion of the white star visible, and  secure all edges into the folds.

(b)  Provides that a folded state flag should be presented or displayed with all folded edges secured and with the blue stripe and a portion of the white star visible.

(c)  Provides that a folded state flag should be stored or displayed in a manner that prevents tearing or soiling of the flag.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2009.

Photo Credit: from the musical “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon, Canyon Tx

Happy New Year! And goodbye.

It’s time for me to fold up The Daily Flag. I’ve had a great time for the past two years, and made wonderful friends. TDF readers are the best.

But I’m not very good at multi-tasking. As it turns out, my best attribute is also my worst attribute. That means I can focus exclusively on one project, to the exclusion of all others. Now it is time for me to put The Daily Flag aside and pursue another project.

Finally, for The Daily Flag readers, one last flag photo. Isn’t this perfect! It was taken by White House photographer Tina Hager, on the south lawn of the White House, July 4, 2002. It’s how my heart feels on the inside. Best Wishes to you all.

To give you a jump start on 2009, here is the list of flag-flying days.

• New Year’s Day, January 1
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, third Monday in January (January 19, 2009)
• Inauguration Day, January 20
• Lincoln’s Birthday, February 12
• Washington’s Birthday, third Monday in February
• Easter Sunday (variable)
• Mother’s Day, second Sunday in May
• Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15 (half-staff all day)
• Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May
• Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), the last Monday in May
• Flag Day, June 14
• Independence Day, July 4
• Labor Day, first Monday in September
• Patriot Day, September 11 (half-staff all day)
• Constitution Day, September 17
• National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day, October 4 (half-staff all day) (established in 2001)
• Columbus Day, second Monday in October
• Navy Day, October 27 
• Veterans Day, November 11
• Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November
• National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7 (half-staff all day)
• Christmas Day, December 25
• and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States; the birthdays of States (date of admission); and on State holidays.

From the Texas State Library and Archives Commission: General provisions regarding the Texas state flag, and information on the display of the flag, the flag pledge, and the retirement of the state flag are included in Chapter 3100 of the Texas Government Code, available from the Texas Constitution and Statutes site.

See Sec. 3100.059.  HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISPLAY. 

(a)  If the state flag is displayed horizontally, the white stripe should be above the red stripe and, from the perspective of an observer, to the right of the blue stripe.

(b)  If the state flag is displayed vertically:

(1)  the blue stripe should be above the white and red stripes; and

(2)  the white stripe should be, from the perspective of an observer, to the left of the red stripe. (my italics)

This perfect photograph of the Lone Star flag was taken by Matt Pippen at the Texas Capitol in Austin.

The Congress, by Public Law 103 308 (as amended) has designated December 7 of each year as “National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”

The flag is flown in the half-staff position all day.

Poles that are too short to fly the flag at half-staff may be adorned with black ribbon, to signify honor, remembrance, and mourning.

By Robert M. Poole for Smithsonian magazine, November 2008

Long before it flew to the moon, waved over the White House or was folded into tight triangles at Arlington National Cemetery; before it sparked fiery Congressional debates, reached the North Pole or the summit of Mount Everest; before it became a lapel fixture, testified to the Marines’ possession of Iwo Jima, or fluttered over front porches, firetrucks and construction cranes; before it inspired a national anthem or recruiting posters for two world wars, the American ensign was just a flag.

 

For the rest of Robert M. Poole’s splendid story in Smithsonian magazine, go here.

On Wednesday, President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush dedicated the renovated National Museum of American History. Today is the grand opening to the public, with retired Gen. Colin Powell scheduled to read President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The original Star-Spangled Banner—the one that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired America’s National Anthem—had long been displayed in the museum, but for the past ten years it has been in the hands of conservationists, who have carefully preserved the fragile flag.

Now it is beautifully displayed again in a specially designed gallery and enclosure that will protect this national treasure.

All photography from the Smithsonian web site.

It was for the “Run for the Fallen,” to the Healing Field Memorial at Patriot Park in Cathedral City, California, sponsored by the Cathedral City Rotary Club and Cathedral City.

The “run” was a motorcycle parade, lead by motorcyclists bearing four American flags in honor of four local soldiers who had fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is a wealth of information about how to carry the flags in a parade, but when the flags are borne by motorcycle riders, extra care must be taken, and the members of these motorcycle riding clubs wanted to make sure they carried these flags of honor properly.

The Run for the Fallen motorcycle procession was held by a consortium of local motorcycle riding clubs, with riders on 175 motorcycles from The American Legion Riders of Palm Springs, the Desert Riders Association, and the Palm Springs Harley Owners Group.

The riding clubs carried the four U.S. flags in honor of SPC Jason Chappell, 1st Lt. Joshua M. Palmer,       PFC Ming Sun, and Corporal Jesus Gonzales, who were from the area in and around Cathedral City.

During the Healing Field Memorial, the 4,248 names of American service men and women were read. The National Anthem was sung by legendary band leader Buddy Greco and his wife, Lezlie Anders.

The Cathedral City High School Symphonic Band, and the United States Marine Corps Band from the Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty-nine Palms performed.

Guest speaker was Gunnery Sgt. Christopher W. Cox, U.S. Marine Corps.

More photographs can be seen at The Desert Riders Association website.

Last week I took a small vacation from The Daily Flag, and during that time I made major business decisions about The Daily Flag and Flags Bay.

I will continue to write for The Daily Flag, but I am reducing the number of articles to one a week, maybe two, which will include occasional book reviews, too.

More than half the people who come to TDF are looking for specific information on flag protocol and etiquette, and I need to make changes on the website so that information is easier to find.

One of the serendipitous consequences of writing at TDF is that I have developed two book ideas which I never would have known about or considered, were it not for TDF and the research required to write here.  I don’t know if these ideas are viable, but I am devoting more time to them. That means trips to distant libraries, because the information I am looking for is not found on the Internet.

I would tell you what the book ideas are, but I cannot (unless you are a book publisher reading here—then one book is an undertold story in American vexillology, and the other idea is about a flag whose mysterious origin, I believe, is deeply buried in one of the oldest and most beloved works in all of English literature. Write me at deborah@flagsbay.com).

Until next week, I remain vexillologically yours, Deborah.

The flag image shown above was adapted from a U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs 1984 Veterans Day poster. The name of the artist is not available presently, but I’m on the hunt.  Isn’t it a beautiful painting!

What a remarkable silhouette. Definitely 21st century.

From Flags Bay and The Daily Flag, we thank you for your dedication and service to our country.

Veterans Day is Tuesday, November 11.  The flag is flown in the full-staff position all day.