05/26/2026
TODAY I LEARNED (TIL):
This Memorial Day, I was in a windy port city where they had several hundred flags planted in postholes in the sidewalks, flapping gloriously in the wind. Curiously, there were a few flags flying at half-staff.
"Why is the flag at half-staff? Is it supposed to fly at half-staff on Memorial Day?" I wondered aloud. After all, I should know this stuff - I roll with the Boy Scouts. After some quick research, I found out that the flag is supposed to fly at half-staff from sunrise to noon, and at full-staff from noon to sundown:
Morning (Sunrise to Noon): The flag should be in the half-staff position to honor and mourn the men and women who died serving the U.S. Armed Forces.
Afternoon (Noon to Sunset): The flag should be raised briskly to the peak of the staff. This signifies the nation rising up in memory of the fallen and honoring their sacrifice.
How cool is that?
Who knew?
I bet some old guys knew this, but I didn't. In fact, when I was younger, I never really cared for the flag. It always seemed like a political football to me. I don't know exactly how or when it shifted - getting older, gaining perspective, traveling extensively, 9/11, becoming a dad, take your pick. What I remember is one day looking at that flag and deciding it looked awesome, just the pure aesthetics of it: Red stripes, white stripes, a big blue rectangle, and a bunch of white stars.
Instead of 2 or 3 colors like most of the world's flags, there are 13 red and white stripes to represent the original 13 colonies. A big chunk of blue abutting them, with 50 white stars - one for each state. It's beautiful.
It should never be wrapped around a politician, co-opted by a political party, pi**ed on by a celebrity, or s**t on by disgruntled groups. It's Elvis. It's a candy cane. It's Evel Knievel. It’s a barbershop pole. It's America, and there's no place better.
Happy Memorial Day - and a heartfelt thanks to those who sacrificed to build America, keep it, protect it, and improve it.
