U.S. Flags in Kane County Fly at Half Staff to Honor Victims In San Bernardino
File photo.
U.S. flags in Kane County — and across the country — will be flown at half staff through Dec. 7, 2015, in honor of the victims of the deadly shootings in San Bernardino, CA.
Fourteen people were killed Wednesday and at least 21 injured after a married couple — Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, — opened fire during a holiday party for county workers. The two shooters were killed in a subsequent fire fight with police.
The attack is being called the deadliest U.S. mass shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.
According to a White House press release issued Thursday, Dec. 3, President Barack Obama proclaimed that all U.S. flags shall be flown at half staff for five days.
The full proclamation is below, along with additional information about flag protocol as well as how and when to fly the flag at half staff.
A PROCLAMATION
As a mark of respect for the victims of gun violence perpetrated on Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino, CA, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions through Dec. 7, 2015. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
— BARACK OBAMA
When to Fly the American Flag at Half-Staff
The United States flag flies at half-staff when the nation is in mourning. These periods of mourning occur by Presidential proclamation.
The President of the United States can direct how the entire executive branch of the government flies the flag, including traditions or customs for flying the flag at half-staff. While you can follow how the executive branch flies the flag, it is not a requirement. For instance, a local community, a company, a school district, or a federal agency can decide to have all of their flags at half-staff because of the death of an employee, a student, a mayor, or a local police officer.
The American Flag and its Protocol
SOURCE: USA.gov
The Flag of the United States of America is a symbol of freedom and liberty to which Americans pledge their allegiance by standing at attention, facing the flag with the right hand over the heart, and reciting:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
The flag consists of 13 alternating red and white stripes that represent the 13 original colonies, and 50 white stars on a blue field, with each star representing a state. The colors on the flag represent:
- Red: valor and bravery
- White: purity and innocence
- Blue: vigilance, perseverance, and justice
