Flag Folding Facts - How-To
The precise details for folding the flag are as follows:
- Fold the Flag in half lengthwise.
- Repeat, fold in half lengthwise again, being careful that the blue field
is on the outside.
- As one person holds the Flag by the blue field, another makes a
triangular fold in the opposite end and continues to make triangular folds
until the entire Flag is in a triangle.
- Tuck the loose edge of the Flag into the pocket formed by the folds so
that only the blue field and white stars are visible.
There is one well-known ceremony for flag folding, often attributed to the
Air Force Academy, in which each of the twelve folds of the flag is assigned
a symbolic meaning. A copy of this ceremony may be obtained by calling or
emailing National Flag Foundation.
Flag Folding Facts - History
The custom of folding the United States Flag into the shape of a triangle
bestows unique honor and respect upon the Flag. National Flag Foundation, the
Naval Library, the Institute of Heraldry and several other sources have searched
for documentation on flag folding, but detailed information regarding its origin
remains unknown. NFF and Dr. Harold Langley, former curator at the Smithsonian
Institution, theorize that the practice probably developed during World War I
when patriotism was high and the United States Flag was universally embraced as
a national symbol.
In 1923, as a consequence of this sustained patriotic fervor and the increased
use of the Flag, a conference of veterans' organizations and patriotic
associations convened in Washington, DC. in 1923 to create a code of etiquette
for the flag. Their intent was to establish traditions ensuring respectful
treatment of the Flag by all Americans, including the many immigrants entering
the country at that time.
Subsequent commentaries associated with flag etiquette began to contain
references to the code and to the symbolic folding of the Flag. One such
commentary, published in 1930, was written by James A. Moss in his definitive
book, The Flag of the United States, its History and Symbolism.
Moss wrote: "In the Army when, each day, the Flag is lowered at the last note
of retreat, the greatest care is taken that no part shall touch the ground. The
Flag is carefully folded into the shape of a tri-cornered hat, reminiscent of
the hats worn by the soldiers who fought the War of the Revolution and won
American independence. In the folding the red and white stripes are finally
wrapped into the blue, as the light of day vanishes into the darkness of the
night."
In a letter written in 1988 to Jerald A. Merrick, Head of Reference at the
Decatur Public Library, George F. Cahill, former President of National Flag
Foundation, offers further clarification:
"I ascribe the fold as a salute to the tri-color itself, - the three colors, the
tri-sided hat of the colonial soldiers and the colonists in general. I further
use other things of three related to the nation and to heraldry inclusive of:
the three branches of the national government; the three
primary documents of our land - the Declaration of Independence, the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and the West Point motto (duty, honor,
country). When meeting with scouts, one can relate the fold to the three points
of the scout oath and to the tri-points of the fleur de lis.1"
Copyright National Flag Foundation 2001. Displayed with permission.
Visit their website at
www.americanflags.org
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