Flagpole KingsVeterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The short answer to the question most people search for is this: the American flag flies at full staff on Veterans Day, all day. It is not a half-staff day. That is Memorial Day, and even then only until noon.
Everything else follows the Flag Code rules that apply all year. But on November 11 veterans notice whether the flag is clean, whether the POW/MIA flag is in the right place, and whether the rope is slapping against a pole nobody has looked at in months. This guide covers the rules, the history behind the date, how to fly service flags and the POW/MIA flag alongside the Stars and Stripes, and a practical checklist for businesses, schools and veterans posts.
Why full staff and not half-staff
The confusion is understandable. Both holidays honor people who served, and both are days when flags come out. But they mean different things.
- Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) remembers the men and women who died in military service. The flag is raised to the peak, lowered to half-staff, kept there until noon, then raised back to full staff for the rest of the day. The Flag Code spells this out at 4 U.S.C. 7(m).
- Veterans Day (November 11) honors everyone who has served in the armed forces, living and dead. It is a day of thanks to people who are, for the most part, still with us. The flag flies at full staff from sunrise to sunset.
Veterans Day is named directly in the Flag Code's list of days the flag should be displayed, at 4 U.S.C. 6(d), with no half-staff note beside it.
| Veterans Day | Memorial Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | November 11, whatever day of the week | Last Monday in May |
| Who it honors | Everyone who has served, living and dead | Those who died in service |
| Flag position | Full staff, all day | Half-staff until noon, then full staff |
| In the Flag Code | 4 U.S.C. 6(d) | 4 U.S.C. 6(d) and 7(m) |
| Typical moment | 11 a.m., the hour the 1918 armistice took effect | Midday, when the flag goes back up |
There is one exception. If the President or a governor has ordered flags to half-staff for a death, and that order covers November 11, the order is followed. That is rare, and it would come as a proclamation, not as a Veterans Day custom. Absent an order, it's full staff.
Where the date comes from
The fighting of the First World War stopped under an armistice that took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. November 11 was observed as Armistice Day for years, and in 1938 Congress made it a legal holiday, dedicated to world peace.
After the Second World War and Korea, veterans' organizations pressed for a day that honored veterans of all wars. Congress struck the word "Armistice" and put in "Veterans," and the change took effect on June 1, 1954. The Flag Code's own notes record that change.
The date then moved for a while. The Uniform Monday Holiday law of 1968 shifted Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October, and the first observance under it fell on October 25, 1971. A lot of states kept November 11 anyway. In 1975 President Ford signed Public Law 94-97, which returned the holiday to November 11 starting in 1978, and it has stayed there since. That's why it lands midweek in some years, as it does in 2026.
The 11 a.m. hour still matters. The national ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery traditionally begins at 11, and many towns, schools and posts hold their own observance at the same time.
The basic rules for November 11
These come from the U.S. Flag Code (Title 4, Chapter 1 of the U.S. Code). It is guidance for civilians, with no penalty attached, but on Veterans Day getting it right is a mark of respect.
Hours. The custom is to fly the flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on fixed outdoor flagpoles. It may fly 24 hours a day if it is properly lit during the hours of darkness (4 U.S.C. 6(a)). If your flag stays up every night, there should be a light on it. If it doesn't, Veterans Day morning is the time to raise it.
Raising and lowering. Raise it briskly and lower it ceremoniously (4 U.S.C. 6(b)). Nobody should let it touch the ground on the way down. Two people make lowering and folding a larger flag much easier.
Weather. The Code says not to fly the flag in inclement weather unless it is an all-weather flag (4 U.S.C. 6(c)). Modern nylon and polyester flags are made for rain. In a real storm, taking the flag down protects it and the pole, and isn't disrespect.
Condition. A flag that is torn, faded or frayed shouldn't be flown. The Code says a flag in that condition should be retired in a dignified way, preferably by burning (4 U.S.C. 8(k)). November 11 is a good deadline for checking it, and for replacing it a week or two before rather than on the day.
Nothing above it. No flag or pennant flies above the U.S. flag or, at the same height, to its right. The single exception is the church pennant during Navy services at sea (4 U.S.C. 7(c)).
Flying more than one flag on Veterans Day
A lot of flagpoles carry a second or third flag on November 11: a POW/MIA flag, a state flag, or one or more service flags. Here is how they go.
On the same pole
When other flags share a halyard with the U.S. flag, the U.S. flag is always at the peak (4 U.S.C. 7(f)). The second flag goes directly beneath it. By custom the second flag is no larger than the U.S. flag, usually the same size or one size smaller.
The usual order on a single pole for Veterans Day is:
- The U.S. flag, at the top
- The POW/MIA flag, directly beneath it
- A state flag or a service flag, beneath that, if the pole is built for it
Every extra flag adds load, and a pole rated for one flag in your wind isn't automatically rated for two or three. America's Dealers and Distributors makes the same point on its military and government page: POW/MIA, state and service flags flown together are common on military and veteran sites, and the pole and hardware need to be sized for the extra load.
On separate poles
When flags fly on adjacent poles, the U.S. flag goes in the position of honor, which is its own right. Standing in front of the poles and facing them, that is your left. In a group of three or more, it can also take the center pole if that pole is the tallest. The U.S. flag is raised first and lowered last (4 U.S.C. 7(f)).
The POW/MIA flag
Federal law requires the POW/MIA flag at certain federal sites, including the Capitol, the White House, national cemeteries, VA medical centers, major military installations and post offices. Since a 2019 change to 36 U.S.C. 902, those sites fly it on every day the U.S. flag is displayed, not just on a short list of days. Veterans Day had been on that list from the start.
For a business, school or home, the POW/MIA flag is a choice, not a requirement. When you fly it, it goes beneath the U.S. flag on the same pole, or on its own pole to the U.S. flag's left (your right, facing them). It never goes above the Stars and Stripes.
Service flags and their order
The order used by the Department of Defense for displaying them together comes from its precedence directive (DoD Directive 1005.8), with the Space Force placed after the Air Force:
| Position (from the U.S. flag outward) | Flag |
|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. flag (position of honor) |
| 2 | Army |
| 3 | Marine Corps |
| 4 | Navy |
| 5 | Air Force |
| 6 | Space Force |
| 7 | Coast Guard |
The Coast Guard moves up to follow the Navy when it operates as part of the Navy in wartime. A POW/MIA flag in the same line usually follows the service flags. If your site honors one branch in particular, for example a Marine Corps League detachment, flying that single service flag beneath the U.S. flag is perfectly correct.
The salute: what veterans and everyone else do
This changed in 2008, and many people still don't know it.
Under 4 U.S.C. 9, during the raising or lowering of the flag, or when it passes in a parade:
- People in uniform give the military salute.
- Members of the armed forces and veterans who are not in uniform may give the military salute. This was added by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2008. It is permissive, not required. Plenty of veterans prefer the hand over the heart, and that's fine too.
- Everyone else faces the flag, stands at attention and puts the right hand over the heart. Anyone wearing a hat takes it off with the right hand and holds it at the left shoulder, so the hand is over the heart.
If you run a ceremony, it's worth saying this out loud before the flag goes up.
A Veterans Day checklist for businesses, schools and posts
Most of this takes ten minutes. The point is to do it a week ahead, not at 7 a.m. on the eleventh.
| When | What to check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Two weeks before | Is the flag faded, frayed at the fly end, or torn? | A worn flag shouldn't fly, and a new one needs time to arrive |
| Two weeks before | Is the flag the right size for the pole? | Too large overloads the pole and wears the flag out fast |
| One week before | Does the halyard run freely? Are the snap hooks and cleat tight? | A frozen or frayed rope is the most common failure on the day |
| One week before | If the flag flies overnight, does the light work? | 24-hour display needs proper lighting |
| One week before | Do you have the POW/MIA or service flags you plan to fly? | Order of display and flag sizes are easier to plan in advance |
| The day before | Who raises the flag, and when? | A named person, not "whoever's in first" |
| The day | Raise briskly at sunrise or opening time, full staff | Not half-staff unless an order says so |
| The day | Plan a moment at 11 a.m. if you hold a ceremony | The hour the 1918 armistice took effect |
| After | Retire the old flag properly | American Legion and VFW posts and Scout troops often collect them |
Getting the flag size right
A common Veterans Day mistake is a flag that's too big for the pole, bought in a fit of enthusiasm. The fly end shreds and the pole carries more than it was built for. As a rule of thumb, flag length should be about a quarter to a third of the pole's exposed height. ADD's flag size chart gives a 3 by 5 for a 15 ft pole, 4 by 6 for 20 ft, 5 by 8 for 25 and 30 ft, 6 by 10 for 35 ft, and 8 by 12 for 40 ft. Oversizing can also void a pole's warranty.
Nylon or polyester for a flag that flies every day
For a flag that flies every day, the material matters. ADD sells two weights from Eder:
- Endura-Nylon, a 200-denier nylon that flies in the lightest breeze. It's the everyday flag for inland, sheltered sites.
- Poly-Max, a two-ply polyester with four rows of stitching and reinforced corners at the fly end. It's built for sites near water or out in steady wind, where salt air and constant snapping wear a flag down.
ADD's flag page puts it simply: the closer you are to the bay, the ocean, a tidal river or a big lake, the more the heavier flag earns its price.
Lighting
A flag that stays up overnight needs a light aimed up at it from the base. Flagpole Farm's guide to flagpole accessories has a helpful note on placement, suggesting two lights 180 degrees apart or three lights at 120 degrees, aimed at the top of the pole.
Retiring a worn flag
Veterans Day is one of the most common days for flag retirement ceremonies. The Flag Code's guidance is that a flag no longer fit to fly should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. Most people don't do this at home. American Legion and VFW posts, Scout troops and some town offices collect worn flags and retire them in a ceremony, often around Flag Day and Veterans Day.
Eder Flag, the Wisconsin maker that sews the flags ADD sells, covers the basics of care and retirement in its flag etiquette do's and don'ts, including folding the flag in the traditional triangle and keeping it off the ground. The Flag Lady, a flag retailer in Columbus, Ohio, has a friendly guide to honoring veterans with the flag with ideas for grave flags, parades and presenting a folded flag to a veteran's family.
For veterans posts, schools and town buildings: when the pole itself is the problem
Some years the trouble isn't the flag but the pole: a cut halyard, a cleat pulled off, a shaft bent in last spring's storm. This is where America's Dealers and Distributors comes in.
A person answers. ADD's site says it plainly: one person reads each request and replies with a real number, usually the same business day. You call or text (350) 305-3524, or send the town and what's wrong, and you hear back from someone who knows flagpoles.
They tell you whether the pole was right in the first place. If a pole broke in a storm, ADD checks whether it was too thin for the wind at that address before quoting a replacement. Every address has an adopted design wind speed, and ADD holds that figure for every town it covers. A replacement should be rated for the site, not just the same model as the one that failed.
The old base can often stay. Replacements often reuse the existing concrete base. Send a photo of it and they'll tell you.
Public sites usually want the rope inside the pole. On a school, a town hall or a post where the public walks past, an internal halyard runs the rope inside the shaft to a winch behind a locking door, so nobody can lower the flag or cut the rope. ADD's halyard guide explains the trade-off, and their military and government page notes that a locking access door is close to mandatory on public and secured property.
American-made, with the paperwork. Every flag and pole ADD sells is made in the USA. The aluminum poles and the flags come from Eder Flag in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, which is employee-owned and dates to 1887. A certificate of domestic origin is available on request, which matters on federally funded projects. ADD sells the POW/MIA flag and all six service flags, all sewn by Eder. As of October 2026, the POW-MIA flag starts at $32.80, the Army, Navy and Coast Guard flags at $37.30, the Marine Corps flag at $48.90, and the Air Force and Space Force flags at $50.60, with free shipping on every flag.
One quote for everything. For a new or replacement pole, ADD quotes the pole, foundation, flag and labor together, and manages the job from the first call to the flag going up. They supply and install in the 48 contiguous states. Their prices are on their website, and they'll tell you plainly if what you were about to buy is more pole than your site needs.
If it's too late for this November, it's the right time to plan for Memorial Day.
It doesn't take much to get Veterans Day right, and on November 11 people notice when you do.