Friday, September 16, 2016

Americans Flagpoles Lightings

By Nick Barrow


The American flag, officially recognized as the flag of the United States, is to be treated with respect as it is a representative of a living country and understood to be a living entity according to Section 8 of the “Flag Code”. The flag should not be shown disrespect, dipped to any person or thing, never carried horizontally, never touch the ground, the floor, water or merchandise and never worn as apparel, bedding or drapery.

The flag of the United States is the emblem of our identity as a separate nation, which the United States of America has been for more than 200 years. Therefore, citizens should stand at attention and salute when their flag is passing in a parade or be hoisted or lowered. The custom is to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on flagstaffs in the open, but it may be displayed at night upon special occasions to produce a patriotic effect.

Proper illumination of your U.S. Flag should be installed and aimed near your flagpole if you intend to display the flag at night. There is some unique historical perspective to this question. In 1970, a disabled veteran named Philip Daigneault wrote President Richard Nixon regarding a display of patriotism by flying the U.S. Flag on a 24-hour basis till the Vietnam War came to an end.

The American Legion has developed recommendations on lighting the American flag at night. They have interpreted proper illumination to mean a light or lighting plan specifically placed to illuminate the flag. Alternatively, the Legion believes that having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer is also permissible.

It is not advisable to flood the entire area in order to illuminate the flag; you simply want to spotlight the flag itself, avoiding any other light trespass. Controlling the light to come on at dusk and go off at dawn is also recommended. The advancements in outdoor lighting technology can reduce your energy use costs while still keeping your flag lit throughout the nighttime hours.

However, there is a barrage of cheap flagpole lightings being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported stuff is cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flagpole lightings made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flags and flagpole lightings offered a special edition of solar powered flagpole lightings to provide innovative solutions for individual projects.




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