Memorial Day is unique for where your flag should fly and when. Here's what to know
Today is Memorial Day.
While the federal holiday has unofficially become the day many think of as the beginning of summer, the day was established to honor members of the U.S. military who have died in service to their country.
Flags will fly at half-staff during the day but only until noon, making Memorial Day unique when it comes to flying your flag.
Here's what you should know.
Memorial Day falls on the last Monday in May, so the date moves around each each.
In 2025, Memorial Day will be on Monday, May 26.
Yes, Memorial Day is one of 11 federal holidays.
Here are 2025 federal holidays:
Jan. 1: New Year's Day
Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 17: Washington's Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day.
May 26: Memorial Day
June 19: Juneteenth
July 4: Independence Day
Sept. 1: Labor Day
Oct. 13: Columbus Day
Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 25: Christmas Day
Yes. Memorial Day also is a paid holiday in Florida.
The Florida Department of Management Services lists the following days observed as paid holidays by state agencies:
Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year's Day
Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
May 26, Monday: Memorial Day
July 4, Friday: Independence Day
Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day
Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day
Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving
Nov. 28: Friday after Thanksgiving
Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day
➤ See list of 2025 Florida, federal holidays, including new one for Sunshine State
"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 flag should first be raised briskly to the top of the staff before being slowly lowered to half-staff.
Lowering the flag to half-staff is a sign of mourning and respect for those who have died, particularly in the service of their country.
The American flag stays a half-staff on Memorial Day before being raised to the top of the staff at noon, where it stays until it's lowered at sunset.
Congress codified the tradition of raising the flag at noon in 1924, saying: 'For the nation lives, and the flag is a symbol of illumination,' adding the noon flag-raising symbolizes the persistence of the nation in the face of loss, according to livescience.com.
It's half-mast on ships and half-staff on shore.
Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day can trace its origins back to the years after the Civil War when people began to decorate the graves and say prayers to those killed during the war.
In 1868, Gen. John Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance, according to History.com. The observance was called Decoration Day, and it was observed on May 30, 1868, as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. The date was chosen because it wasn't the anniversary of any Civil War battle, History.com said.
Originally honoring only those who died during the Civil War, Decoration Day expanded to recognize the sacrifices of others after World War I.
"The holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971 and changed from May 30 to the last Monday in May under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
➤ Fast facts: 10 historical facts about Memorial Day
On ships and at naval stations ashore, flags are flown at half-mast.
On shore, flags are flown at half-staff.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why is flag at half-staff today? Memorial Day half-staff until noon
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Veterans remain central to D-Day anniversary ceremonies
The Brief D-Day marks the day allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest amphibious invasion in military history. June 6 marks the anniversary of D-Day, the day allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy and changed the course of World War II. The invasion was unprecedented in scale and audacity and implemented the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to punch a hole in Adolf Hitler's defenses in Western Europe. Today, though the D-Day generation of veterans are smaller, they remain a crucial reminder of what June 6 means as they continue to spread the message that they fought so hard for 81 years ago: Freedom is worth defending. About 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of 2024, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dig deeper At the Normandy American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha, the resting place for nearly 9,400 American war dead, workers and visitors rubbed sand from the beach onto the white gravestones, so the engraved names stand out. Wally King, a sprightly 101-year-old, shared a few words at the grave of Henry Shurlds Jr. Shurlds who flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighters like King and was shot down and killed on Aug. 19, 1944. What they're saying When "most veterans from World War II came home, they didn't want to talk about the war. So they didn't pass those experiences on to their children and grandchildren," King said. "In a way, that's good because there's enough unpleasantness, bloodshed, agony in war, and perhaps we don't need to emphasize it," he added. "But the sacrifice needs to be emphasized and celebrated." Jack Stowe, a 98-year-old who served in the Navy, shared that he still receives "the sweetest letters" from kids he has met on previous trips. "The French people here, they're so good to us … they want to talk to us, they want to sit down and they want their kids around us," he said. Jake Larson, 102, survived machine gunfire while storming Omaha beach on D-Day. "We are the lucky ones … They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive," Larson said. What does "D" stand for in D-Day? It depends on who you ask. The backstory Some say it stands for designated day, decision day, doomsday or even death day, according to the U.S. military. Others also said it merely stands for "Day," as in Day-Day. There have been other instances in history which utilized D-Day as a coded designation for the day of any important invasion or military operation, the U.S. military said. Referencing Stephen Ambrose's book, "D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II," the U.S. Army's first use of D-Day was in 1918. "For military planners (and later historians), the days before and after a D-Day were indicated using plus and minus signs: D-4 meant four days before a D-Day, while D+7 meant seven days after a D-Day," according to the U.S. Army website. An unknown person allegedly wrote to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allied supreme commander for Operation Overlord, and asked what the "D" meant. His executive assistant at the time, Brigadier Gen. Robert Schultz answered: "General Eisenhower asked me to respond to your letter. Be advised that any amphibious operation has a 'departed date'; therefore the shortened term 'D-Day' is used," the Army's website reads. The sea landings started at 6:30 a.m., just after dawn, targeting five code-named beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword. The operation also included actions inland, including overnight parachute landings on strategic German sites and U.S. Army Rangers scaling cliffs to take out German gun positions. By the numbers Around 11,000 Allied aircraft, 7,000 ships and boats, and thousands of other vehicles were involved. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, including 2,501 Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle — and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities — killed around 20,000 French civilians. The exact German casualties aren't known, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. About 22,000 German soldiers are among the many buried around Normandy. The Source Information for this article was taken from previous reporting by The Associated Press, FOX News and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Uniontown invites all to 2025 fireworks event
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Union County officials are inviting everyone to a fireworks show on Independence Day. Officials say all are invited to the Uniontown Freedom Fireworks on July 5 with festivities beginning at 5 p.m. People are invited to come enjoy music, food, shopping and 'good company' with fireworks at dark. Union County Public Schools offering free meals for Summer 2025 A county spokesperson says, 'Uniontown has never failed to deliver some of the best fireworks in the area and this year promises to deliver as well. A big thank you to our sponsors for their support of this community event.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
D-Day in photos: See historic images from the Normandy landings
Friday, June 6, marks 81 years since the allied forces of World War II stormed the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day. The amphibious assault – codenamed Operation Overlord – involved landing approximately 160,000 Allied soldiers on the French beaches, resulting in 4,427 casualties – according to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation. The plan for the attack across the English Channel was put in motion at the Tehran Conference in 1943, where Allied leaders chose American general Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander for the operation. Omaha Beach, the second to the west of the five landing beaches, saw the bloodiest fighting of the battle, with American forces seeing 2,400 casualties – according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. The invasion marked the turning point in the European theater, as Paris would be liberated by the end of August, 1944 and Nazi Germany would surrender less than a year later, according to Here are historic photos from D-Day. 'We had a job' to do: Humble veteran, 100, recalls D-Day 81 years later 'Welcome home': Iowan killed on D-Day to be buried on 81st anniversary of his death This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Historic photos show D-Day landings, turning point of WWII
