The rain and wind is inevitable and unpredictable, but the treatment of the United States flag is not something to be neglected.

As the country recently mourned the ninth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center and the annual See You at the Pole gathering at the high school approaches, flags have been seen flying around town at less than respected standards.

According to the United States Flag Code, certain etiquette procedures are to be followed in flying and maintaining the American flag.

The code covers everything from displaying a flag over the middle of a street to covering a casket. The code states it is custom to display the flag “from sunrise to sunset on building and on stationary flagstaffs in the open.” The flag may only be displayed 24 hours a day if it is “properly illuminated during hours of darkness.”

In conditions of inclement weather, the flag is only to be displayed if it is an all-weather flag. The flag should be displayed in close proximity to the entrance of public institutions, near every polling place on election days and in or near every schoolhouse during school days.

There is a separate section in the code concerning respect for the flag.

The flag, “when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

The Stars and Stripes have a deeper meaning to those who put their lives on the line to protect it. In Pea Ridge, members of VFW Post 8109 work to make sure the flags at all schools are in respectable condition. The post holds fundraisers, such as their recent golf tournament, to provide funds for replacement flags, along with their annual scholarship program.

Apart from the schools, it is the responsibility of private institutions to maintain the flags displayed at their businesses and uphold the respect for such an important symbol of this country’s freedom and those who serve to guarantee it.

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Editor’s note: Cassi Lapp is the news clerk/staff writer of The Times of Northeast Benton County. A Colorado native, Lapp graduated from the University of Arkansas. She can be reached at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 4 on 09/22/2010