FLAG DAY 1996

As holidays go, Flag Day is generally observed as one of the lesser festivals in the nation's calendar of events. It can't compare with many major holidays that have come to be observed on Mondays so Americans can enjoy a three-day weekend. Like the Fourth of July, Flag Day has a specific date for its observance. For the most part, lining the streets with flags on Flag Day is about as good as it gets.

One special Cape Girardeau observance will be American Legion Post 63's flag retirement ceremony at 6 p.m. today at the Missouri Veterans Home. This is an opportunity for owners of unserviceable flags to be disposed of in a fitting and proper way. The American Legion, representing some 3 million veterans, is among the nation's staunchest defenders of the U.S. flag and its national symbolism. (See. the column by Daniel A. Ludwig, the American Legion's national commander, elsewhere on this page.)

How to display the U.S. flag properly was discussed at length in a special feature June 9 in the Southeast Missourian. The U.S. flag code, first adopted in 1942, governs the appropriate display of Old Glory. There also are guidelines for honoring the flag:

-- When the U.S. flag is raised or lowered as part of a ceremony or when it passes in a parade or review, everyone should face the flag and stand at attention.

-- Men and women in military uniform should give a hand salute to the flag. A civilian man salutes the flag by removing his hat with his right hand and holding it at his left shoulder with his right palm over his heart. Men without hats and women salute by placing the right hand over the heart.

-- The flag should be saluted at the moment it passes by.

-- When the national anthem is played while a U.S. flag is on display, everyone should face the flag and salute it in the same manner as when it passes in a parade. If there is no flag displayed during the playing of the national anthem, everyone should stand and face toward the music. Persons in military uniform should salute throughout the anthem.

Many Americans have come to associate both the national anthem and the display of the flag as little more than decorations at sporting events. While most Americans stand during the playing of the national anthem, far too many show little respect for the flag. In many cases, this is because they either never learned or have forgotten the appropriate way to honor the flag.

There are few things more upsetting to veterans who have followed the flag into battle than to see Americans show such casual regard for Old Glory. Doing simple things like standing at attention and saluting properly pay tribute both to the national symbol and the men and women who have served in the armed force.

The next time you hear the national anthem or see the flag passing in a parade, show your respect. As you salute the flag, others will see you and learn. There is not better lesson to be taught on Flag Day.