With 23 state orders so far this year to fly flags at half-staff as a sign of respect or mourning, it can be hard for building operators to make sure they have employees available to raise and lower the flags at the right times.
“It’s a lot to keep up on,” said Elaina Kempin, assistant vice president of marketing for Fairfax State Savings Bank in Fairfax.
To help, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has a new banner on her homepage to say whether flags should be at half or full staff — a helpful hint for people trying to track frequent orders.
Alex Murphy, a spokesman for Reynolds, said the flag status banner was added to the Office of the Governor’s homepage in recent months. The white banner is right under the governor’s name.
“This is a feature that exists on other governors' websites and given the large statewide audience that relies on the Governor's Office for information on flag status, we decided to add the feature to our website to ensure this information was readily available for Iowans,” he said.
State flag orders, which usually honor an individual or group of people who have died, require all state buildings and grounds to lower the American and Iowa flags to half-staff during certain time periods, such as from sunrise to sunset, on a given day.
The orders also state that “individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties, and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flags at half-staff for the same length of time.”
Each of the 28 schools in the Iowa City Community School District has a flagpole and a custodial staff to lower the flags following state and federal flag orders, said Mike O’Connor, district custodial manager.
“We get a notice, which we forward on to all our head custodians and trust them to take care of it,” he said. “If they don’t lower that flag when they are supposed to, someone will call us.”
O’Connor said it can be tricky to make sure the flags are lowered at the right time and then raised to full staff again, especially on no-school days or in subzero weather.
“It’s a little tedious in the winter when the rope is frozen,” O’Connor said. “As some of the new schools are built, they will get a better system. They will have a hand crank.”
But the reminder on the governor’s homepage could help out someone who missed the details of a flag order, he said. “I think it’s good for people to check.”
Fairfax State Savings Bank can’t lower its massive 40-by-80 foot American flag to half-staff on its 130-foot flagpole because it would touch the ground, which is against the U.S. Flag Code.
Kempin has employees lower the flag 10 feet when there are state or federal orders, she said. The exception would be Sundays or holidays when no one is scheduled to work.
The bank’s former chief executive officer, David Neuhaus, is a veteran, she said.
“People do watch that stuff and they are conscious of it,” Kempin said. “They notice which businesses follow the guidelines and which ones don’t.”
Kempin said the online flag status banner would be more helpful if it linked to recent flag orders so building operators could more easily figure out how long the flag order is in effect.
Iowa flag orders so far in 2022
Oct. 9: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service
Sept. 11: Patriot Day
Sept. 8-10: Queen Elizabeth II’s Sept. 8 death
Aug. 4: U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, of Indiana, who died in a car crash Aug. 3
July 11: Coralville Police Sgt. John Williams, who died of a medical emergency while responding to a police call
July 10: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, assassinated July 8
July 5-9: Victims of July 4 shooting at parade in Highland Park, Ill.
June 22: Army Cpl. Kenneth Ford, of Albia, who died in the Korean War
June 18: Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin “Melvin” Richardson, who died June 14 in crash with combine
June 1: Former State Auditor Richard Johnson, who died May 26
May 31: Larry Spencer, a former prisoner of war from West Des Moines, and Jack Breedlove, of Cedar Rapids, killed at Pearl Harbor
May 30: Memorial Day
May 28: Victims of school shooting in Uvalde, Texas
May 15: National Peace Officers Memorial
May 14: Navy Seaman 1st Class David F. Tidball, killed at Pearl Harbor
May 13: Navy Storekeeper 3rd Class Harry Nichols, killed at Pearl Harbor
May 6: Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony
March 27: Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who died March 23
March 19: U.S. Don Young, of Alaska, who died March 18
March 9: West Memphis Firefighters Jason Lang, a North Liberty native, fatally struck by car while providing aid
Feb. 23: Army Pfc. Don Dowler Jr., of Clarinda, killed in Korean War
Feb. 17: U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, of Minnesota, died Feb. 17
Jan. 13: Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, of Nevada, who died Dec. 28
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
Water plant operator Kaleb Hogan lowers the Stars and Stripes to half-staff early Sunday at the Water Administration Building, 1111 Shaver Road NE, in Cedar Rapids. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags at half-staff that day in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. Her website, governor.iowa.gov, now indicates the flag status for the U.S. and state flags. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
