Why are flags at half-staff today? Oklahoma flags lowered after death of

Flags across Oklahoma are to fly at half-staff to honor former governor and University of Oklahoma president David Boren, who died Thursday at 83.

On Thursday, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order to announce that flags on state property had been lowered to half-staff to honor Boren’s life and legacy.

“Today, I join Oklahomans in mourning the loss of former Governor David Boren, who dedicated his life to serving our state. His love of Oklahoma was evident in everything he did. Sarah and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Molly, and the entire Boren family,” Stitt said in a statement.

All flags on state property will be flown at half-staff until Boren’s interment.

Do I have to lower my flag?

The U.S. flag code is a set of guidelines, not law, but private citizens and businesses are expected to follow the protocol of lowering to half-staff any U.S. flag displayed on a vertical pole.

If you have an American flag on a 45-degree post, like the kind you mount on the side of your home, you can’t actually lower it to half-staff. But you could add a black ribbon to the top of the pole or, if your post has one, lower the flag to the 90-degree position.

When are flags flown at half-staff?

There are specific holidays and events for which flags are flown at half-staff in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website. They include:

Memorial Day, when the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only and then raised to the top of the staff.
Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.
Patriot Day.
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
National Firefighters Memorial Day.

President Dwight Eisenhower also issued a proclamation on the proper times for flying the flag at half-staff when government officials die:

Thirty days for all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.
Ten days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
From the date of death until interment for an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives or the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
The date of death and the next day for a U.S. senator, a representative, a territorial delegate or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff at all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory or commonwealth of these officials.
From the date of death until interment for the governor of a state, territory or possession.

The president may also order that the flag be flown at half-staff to commemorate the death of other officials, former officials or foreign dignitaries, in addition to tragic events.

Half-staff or half-mast?

The terms “half staff” and “half mast” are often used interchangeably; however, they have different meanings.

Both refer to a flagpole, but half-staff is used for poles on land, while half-mast is used for poles on ships.

Contributing: Brandi D. Addison, USA Today Network

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why are flags at half-staff in Oklahoma? Why, how long they’ll be lowered

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