Half Mast Flag

[DavidwithanR]

In this case, there are at least three rules, if not more.

Rule 1: In the context of flag height only, and in civilian English only, “staff” and “mast” are used interchangeably with absolutely no difference in meaning. (As far as I know, no flag ever flew at half pole, and I have no idea why.)

Rule 2: Nautical (or naval) usage of words, when it differs from non-nautical usage, is jargon (i.e. language that is not used or understood by outsiders). If you personally are not an experienced sailor and/or not in the Navy, then be very wary trying to use their jargon - you’ll probably get it wrong. In my opinion and experience, you will especially get it wrong if you ask someone who really is in the Navy to tell you how to figure it out - they’ll correctly advise you, but because you don’t know the jargon in the first place, you’re very likely to misunderstand or misapply the advice! (Solution: If you had to ask a Navy person once, it means that you have to ask them again next time - no generalizing.)
Same goes for Army jargon, or any other kind.

Rule 3: Some people, in violation of Rule 2 but credit to them for doing their best I guess, aim to impress the public by getting other people’s jargon right. It has become a “thing”, and therefore counts as Rule 3.

[x-ray_vision]

@DSYoungEsq

Interestingly, the official Navy regulations state that, even on ships, the “national ensign” is to be flown from the “flagstaff” (when not underway; underway, it flies from the “gaff”). See Chapter 12, Section 8, Article 1259.3 of the Navy Regulations.

There are lots of instances of “half-mast” being used in that regulations chapter. For instance:

1264. Half-Masting the National Ensign
      and Union Jack.
1265. In half-masting the national ensign, it shall,
      if not previously hoisted, first be hoisted to the
      truck or peak and then lowered to half-mast.
      Before lowering from half-mast, the ensign shall
      be hoisted to the truck or peak and then lowered.

Those regs are from 1948.

From a letter by the Secretary of the Navy:

In accordance with references (a) and (b), the National Flag of the
United States shall be flown at half-staff from sunrise on Sunday, 27 August
2017 through sunset on Thursday, 31 August 2017 on all ships and stations of
the Department of the Navy…

http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/ALNAVS/ALN2017/ALN17054.txt

From the Commandant of the Marine Corps (2013):

4 . Placing of the National Flag in Mourning. Flags carried by troops will not be be half-staffed…

…

2 . Full and Half-Mastinq

a. When the national ensign is displayed at half-mast, it first hoisted to the peak and then lowered to the half-mast position.

MCO%2010520.3%20PT%201.pdf

Those and other official documents I found lead me to believe that there is no technically correct term for flying a flag halfway up, whether it be on a ship or elsewhere.

[I_Love_Me_Vol.I]

@Snnipe_70E

How many know the proper procedure to put a flag at half mast?

I would venture that not many know that. But then again, nobody lowers and puts away their flag at night anyway. They just leave it up 24/7 without being lit at night. Funny how some people who profess to love the flag so much treat it so poorly.

[DavidwithanR]

From the recent post by x-ray vision, it appears that there isn’t even any consistent jargon, which means that my so-called rule 3 is wrong, and anyone who corrects “half mast” to “half staff” (or vice versa) is solving a problem that never existed in the first place.

[CookingWithGas]

@suranyi

A private organization can fly their flag at half mast/half staff whenever they want.

The private college I went to would fly their flag at half staff whenever one of their trustees died.

They can in the sense that it does not subject them to criminal penalties, but the flag should not be flown at half staff unless the nation is mourning.

[x-ray_vision]

@CookingWithGas

They can in the sense that it does not subject them to criminal penalties, but the flag should not be flown at half staff unless the nation is mourning.

Not just national mourning:

In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, or the death of a first responder working in any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving in the line of duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff, and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia, members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia, and first responders working in the District of Columbia.

4 U.S. Code § 7 - Position and manner of display

The letter I linked to by the Secretary of the Navy in post 22 was an order to fly the flag at half-staff on all ships and stations of the Department of the Navy on a particular day, but flags weren’t flown nation wide and there was no order or instruction by the President.

[CookingWithGas]

@x-ray_vision

Not just national mourning:

Perhaps I overstated the case but I don’t think the death of a trustee of a private college falls under any of the traditional reasons to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff.

[Tastes_of_Chocolate]

Minnesota’s Office of the Governor has a web page for days the flag is to be flown at half staff (the websites chosen term).

n keeping with appropriate flag etiquette and U.S. Code, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton may order the state flag to be flown at half-staff. He may also order the national flag to be flown at half-staff on state property only. A state flag on state property is required by law to be flown at half-staff if the national flag is flown at half-staff.

There are listed 4 days in February of this year, 6 days in 2017, 21 in 2016. I think the list is actually longer than that, but not all were added to the page. Memorial Day is listed in 2016, but not 2017. Many of the days are to commemorate things not specifically associated with Minnesota, like the death of John Glenn, and lots of mass killings.

[Derleth]

@DavidwithanR

It’s not a fake rule, it’s just a pedantic rule that is often not followed even by people who know both ways perfectly well.

Yes, it’s a fake rule. The real rule runs like this: The correct version is whichever one the other person didn’t use. Therefore, you can always throw it back in their face, and make sure they don’t get above themselves.

[Chronos]

Actually, the proper term is “half-shaft”, unless the speaker is left-handed, in which case it’s “half-stick”.

[gnoitall]

@Chronos

Actually, the proper term is “half-shaft”, unless the speaker is left-handed, in which case it’s “half-stick”.

I’m more of a “flag half-empty” person, but I know some folks who are “flag half-full” types.

[butler1850]

From what I can tell, it appears as though half-staff is the new default. I’d bet that my workplace doesn’t fly it at full staff more than 100 days a year (that may be a slight exaggeration, but it seems that it’s a few days every week.)