Flag fliers: 9-11 resulted in wave of patriotism

Stephen Curran

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002 | 11:13 a.m.

Even the most patriotic Americans often devote only a handful of days to flying the flag.

But the Stars and Stripes are part of the daily work routine for Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Brown.

As flag chief for the Nellis Air Force Base Honor Guard, one of only three full-time Air Force honor guards in the country, Brown oversees the 32 men and women responsible for posting the colors at military funerals and retirement ceremonies.

With the first anniversary of Sept. 11 this week, Brown and his honor guard colleagues are sure to be joined by many in Las Vegas in displaying the flag -- some outside area homes and businesses, some plastering it onto cars and some even wearing it as clothing.

What many well-intentioned Americans don't realize is that some of those displays break a well-defined protocol for displaying the Star-Spangled Banner, Brown said.

"There are a lot of stipulations that you wouldn't necessarily know unless you were in the military," Brown said. "You have to take it with a grain of salt."

Since Sept. 11 Brown has seen a significant increase in flag displays, but says that the patriotic sentiment is more important than memorizing the rules.

One of the most common mistakes in flying the flag is in displaying it on an automobile, said Senior Airman Keri Henderson, head trainer for the Nellis Honor Guard. If a flag is to be attached to a car, rules dictate that the staff be affixed to the right fender.

But displaying a flag on a moving car shortens the life of the flag, causing it to become frayed at the edges, she said.

"It's a good idea, but they're really ruining the flag," Henderson said.

Las Vegas resident Deborah Marino placed an American flag decal on the trunk lid of her Chevy Corsica shortly after the attacks, but wasn't aware of any rules governing flag use.

The sticker is the only flag Marino has displayed, she said.

"I just wanted to show my support," Marino said.

Once a flag becomes worn, faded or frayed, rules also dictate the proper way to dispose of it.

When a flag is no longer suitable to be displayed, it should be taken to a Veterans of Foreign Wars post, which will take it to a military installation to be burned in a special flag retirement ceremony.

The ashes are buried or sprinkled over a veteran's grave.

About 500 worn flags have accumulated in a locked storage shed behind Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1753 in Las Vegas, post Senior Vice Commander Mike Morrison said.

Since Sept. 11 the post has received about 20 flags per month to be disposed, a dramatic increase from pre-Sept. 11, he said.

"Before Sept. 11, I don't think we saw 20 for the whole year," Morrison said. "It's sad it took Sept. 11 (to cause the change)."

Even after they've become worn, the flags are stored in the proper folded formation until they are burned.

World War II veteran Sy Kellogg saw a similar patriotic fervor after he returned from the war, but said it quickly died down.

"I think you noticed it a lot at first," Kellogg said. "Now it's back to the way it was. People have a tendency to forget."

Morrison agrees most people don't know how to retire a flag, often leaving them up long after they have become worn.

"I think people know how to purchase them, but that's about it," said Morrison, a Vietnam veteran.

Overall, however, the patriotic sentiment remains the most important part, Morrison said.

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