Tomorrow is Flag Day, and the State Adjutant Quartermaster of the V-F-W Jerry Frederiksen says many Iowans who’d like to honor the flag may be doing it wrong. It’s fine to fly your flag 24 hours a day, but if it’s up at night it’s supposed to be illuminated. Another thing Frederiksen sees is well-meaning patriots who don’t have a flagpole but want to display the red-white-and-blue by hanging it flat on a wall, in a window or from a balcony or deck railing. They’ll hang it wrong, he says — when you go out in the street and look, the flag’s blue field should be in the upper left corner. When it’s been stored for a long time or used a lot, Frederickson advises checking to see if your flag is soiled. You can wash it, and he says most drycleaners will clean your flag for free, but if it’s ripped and torn, it should be replaced. Don’t put an old worn out flag in the trash or the backyard leaf pile when it’s time to throw it away.Frederiksen says local VFW posts across Iowa will take flags from owners and hold the proper ceremony to dispose of them. The VFW leader says sometimes people will even call the state office to advise of businesses that are flying worn out flags, and they may pass on a gentle reminder to replace it with a new version of Old Glory.
