American flags are flying at half-staff today, Monday, May 25, in Mississippi and across the United States. It’s to honor Memorial Day.
Here’s why the flags are lowered and how long they’ll be lowered.
President Donald Trump issues a proclamation each year in May to honor the nation’s fallen heroes. The National Moment of Remembrance is at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day.
Flags are lowered Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs calls Memorial Day “the nation’s foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women.”
It’s not the same as Veterans Day, which honors living people who served in the armed forces.
The holiday started with local groups honoring the Civil War dead. It became known as Decoration Day. More than 20 places throughout the nation claim to have started the holiday, including Columbus, Mississippi.
Congress and President Lyndon Johnson named Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of the holiday in 1966.
The day was honored for more than a century before becoming a federal holiday in 1971.
“On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The term half-mast applies to ships and naval stations. When a flag is displayed on a flagpole on shore, the correct term is half-staff.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.