Remembering Flag Protocol in May

• Peace Officers Memorial Day, which honors police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, is Friday, May 15.

Postal facilities are required to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff this day. The POW-MIA flag should fly beneath the U.S. flag.

To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to the half-staff position. The flag should be raised to the peak again before it is lowered for the day.

• Armed Forces Day, which honors men and women who serve in the U.S. military, is Monday, May 18. The U.S. flag and the POW-MIA flag must fly at full-staff.

• Memorial Day, a federal holiday to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, is Monday, May 25.

Facilities that are open on the holiday must fly the U.S. flag at half-staff, with the POW-MIA flag below the U.S. flag.

The U.S. flag and POW-MIA flag must be flown at half-staff from sunrise — or the hour when they are raised — until noon. Then, hoist the flags to the peak of the staff, where they either must fly until the time of closing or no later than sunset (unless the flags are lighted).

Facilities that are closed Memorial Day should lower the flags to half-staff when the facility closes prior to the holiday. Return the flags to full staff when the facility opens on Tuesday, May 26.

For more information, please refer to Section 472 of the Administrative Support Manual at https://blue.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/asm/html/asmc4_020.htm.