Why Are Flags at Half-Staff Today? November 2025 Guide

Why Are Flags at Half-Staff Today? A Nation Pauses

From Dick Cheney's passing to local heroes, November 2025 brings multiple moments of national and state reflection

The flag outside your post office hangs differently this week. You might have noticed it on your morning commute—the Stars and Stripes positioned halfway down the pole, neither at full height nor completely lowered. It's a visual language most Americans recognize instantly, even if they don't know the specific reason behind it.

So why are flags at half-staff today? The answer is layered. Across the nation, American flags remain lowered following the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who passed away November 3, 2025, at age 84. But individual states have added their own observances—honoring fallen police officers, deceased state legislators, and military veterans whose remains have finally come home after decades.

It's a reminder that mourning isn't monolithic. Behind every lowered flag is a story, a life, a legacy that someone, somewhere believes deserves this moment of collective acknowledgment.

The Cheney Proclamation: What Federal Law Requires

Dick Cheney's death triggered an automatic protocol. According to Title 4, Section 7 of the United States Flag Code, flags must fly at half-staff from the day of a former Vice President's death until their interment. No presidential proclamation was technically needed—the law itself compels the observance.

Yet the White House found itself navigating uncomfortable territory. President Trump hadn't issued a formal proclamation as of midday Tuesday, November 4. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified during a briefing that flags were lowered "in accordance with statutory law"—an acknowledgment that the gesture was required, not necessarily voluntary.

The interment is scheduled for November 20, meaning flags will remain at half-staff through that date. For seventeen days, every federal building, military installation, and government facility across America will display this symbol of respect for a man whose political legacy remains deeply contested.

"The death of a former Vice President is covered by 4 U.S. Code § 7, which is part of the US Flag Code. According to this section, the flag is to be flown at half-staff from the day of death until interment."

— HalfStaff.org

Beyond Washington: State-Level Observances

While the nation honors Cheney, individual states are conducting their own rituals of remembrance. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered flags lowered from November 8 through sunset November 11 to honor former Senator Clint Harden, who passed away October 18 after years of service representing eastern New Mexico.

Kentucky mourned Martha Layne Collins, the state's first and only woman governor, who died November 1 at 88. Her groundbreaking tenure in the 1980s shattered barriers that persisted for decades, making her loss significant far beyond state borders.

These concurrent observances create an interesting dynamic. A flag lowered in New Mexico might be honoring someone most Americans have never heard of. A flag in Kentucky pays tribute to a pioneering woman leader. Meanwhile, federal flags across all fifty states recognize a vice president whose policies sparked passionate debate. All share the same visual symbol, but the meanings layered beneath are distinctly different.

This is the beauty and complexity of the half-staff tradition. It acknowledges that service happens at every level—from small-town elected officials to national leaders—and that each contribution shapes the communities those individuals served.

Who Was Dick Cheney?

For those who came of age after his vice presidency, Cheney might be an unfamiliar name. For older Americans, he's impossible to forget. Serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Cheney became arguably the most powerful vice president in modern American history—a distinction that brought both praise and fierce criticism.

His resume reads like an encyclopedia of American political power. He was Secretary of Defense during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, served six terms representing Wyoming in the House of Representatives, and worked as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford at just 34 years old—the youngest person ever to hold that position.

But it's his vice presidency that defined him. Cheney's tenure included the September 11 attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the authorization of enhanced interrogation techniques, and an expansion of executive power that alarmed constitutional scholars across the political spectrum.

His supporters credit him with steady leadership during national crises and an unwavering commitment to American security. His critics point to the Iraq War—launched on intelligence about weapons of mass destruction that proved unfounded—and interrogation policies they consider torture. Both perspectives contain truth. Both shaped how Americans understand that era.

The lowered flags don't resolve these contradictions. They simply acknowledge that Cheney was here, that he served, that his decisions affected millions—and that his absence marks the end of something significant in American political history.

The Annual Half-Staff Calendar

Cheney's death represents one type of half-staff observance—the unexpected moment when a prominent figure passes and protocol demands recognition. But certain dates on the calendar trigger this display every single year, regardless of who holds office or what's happening in the news cycle.

The official half-staff schedule includes:

• Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15) — Honoring law enforcement killed in the line of duty, from sunrise to sunset
• Memorial Day (Last Monday in May) — Flags at half-staff only until noon, then raised to full height, symbolizing national resilience
• Patriot Day (September 11) — Remembering the 2,977 lives lost in the 2001 terrorist attacks
• Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27) — Recognizing the sacrifice of those who served in the forgotten war
• Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7) — Honoring the 2,400 service members killed in the 1941 attack

These aren't political statements. They're collective decisions about which sacrifices matter enough to pause and remember as a nation. They create a shared calendar of grief, respect, and acknowledgment that transcends our daily partisan battles.

November 11, Veterans Day, offers an interesting contrast. On that day, flags fly at full-staff throughout—not as mourning but as celebration of all who have served in uniform. The distinction matters. Different occasions demand different forms of respect, and the flag protocol reflects that nuance.

What Half-Staff Actually Means

The practice of lowering flags traces back centuries to naval tradition. Ships would lower their colors to make space for an "invisible flag of death"—a gesture that acknowledged loss while maintaining the vessel's ability to identify itself at sea.

Today's protocol preserves that symbolism. When properly executed, the flag should first be hoisted briskly to the peak, then lowered solemnly to half-staff—positioned one flag width down from the top of the pole. Before day's end, it must again be raised to the peak before being retired.

This choreography matters. It represents the idea that even in grief, we honor the heights of human achievement and aspiration. We acknowledge loss without surrendering to it. We remember the dead while affirming that life—and the nation—continues.

Americans aren't required to lower flags on private property, but many choose to do so. That voluntary participation transforms a government protocol into something more powerful—a grassroots expression of shared values and collective mourning that bridges ideological divides.

The Politics of Memory

Not everyone agrees that Cheney deserves this honor. Social media erupted with divided reactions following the announcement. Some praised his dedication to national security. Others questioned whether someone associated with controversial wartime decisions merits such ceremonial respect.

"He was a war criminal," wrote critics online, referencing enhanced interrogation policies and the Iraq War. "He was a patriot who kept us safe," responded supporters, pointing to the absence of major terrorist attacks on American soil during most of his tenure.

This tension reveals something fundamental about American democracy. We rarely agree on anything. We interpret history differently. We assign blame and credit through opposing lenses. Yet the flag code doesn't care about public opinion polls or historical judgments. It establishes clear, non-negotiable guidelines based on position held, not popularity achieved.

Perhaps that's the point. In a nation where consensus is rare, the ritual of remembrance offers neutral ground. We can disagree profoundly about policies while acknowledging the burden of leadership. We can debate legacies while respecting the office and those who accept its weight.

How Long Will Flags Remain Lowered?

For Cheney, flags will stay at half-staff through his interment on November 20. The funeral arrangements haven't been fully disclosed, but expectations point toward a ceremony befitting his rank—likely attended by current and former officials from both political parties, along with military honors reflecting his service as Secretary of Defense.

State observances follow their own timelines. New Mexico's flags for Senator Harden will return to full-staff after sunset November 11. Kentucky's observance for Governor Collins has already concluded. Each state sets its own protocols for honoring local figures, creating a patchwork of remembrance that reflects America's federalist structure.

Once November 20 passes, federal flags will rise back to their full height. National attention will shift to the next crisis, controversy, or celebration—the perpetual cycle of news and governance grinding forward as it always does.

But something will linger. For nearly three weeks, Americans saw the same symbol in the same position, sharing a visual vocabulary that asked them to pause, to consider, to remember that public service—whatever its outcomes—carries weight and consequence.

What If You Can't Lower Your Flag?

Not all flagpoles allow for half-staff display. Porch-mounted flags and some residential installations can't be lowered due to their construction. For these situations, flag etiquette offers an alternative: attach a mourning bow to the top of the pole.

Mourning bows should match the flag's proportions—the same width as a stripe, the same length as the flag itself. This simple addition transforms a static display into a symbol of respect, allowing homeowners and businesses to participate in national observances even when their flagpoles can't accommodate traditional half-staff positioning.

It's a small detail, but it reflects something larger. The half-staff tradition isn't just about mechanics. It's about intention—the choice to acknowledge loss, to honor service, to participate in collective mourning regardless of technical limitations.

A Symbol That Unites and Divides

The half-staff flag occupies peculiar territory in American life. It's simultaneously a unifying symbol and a reminder of our divisions. We can all agree that leadership matters, that service deserves recognition, that death commands respect. Yet we passionately disagree about whether any particular leader's service was honorable, whether their decisions were wise, whether their legacy merits the honor being bestowed.

Dick Cheney embodied those contradictions. He served with distinction across five decades. He made decisions that saved lives and decisions that cost them. He expanded executive power in ways that alarmed scholars and defended those expansions as necessary. He was praised and reviled, honored and condemned—often simultaneously by different segments of the same country.

The lowered flags don't resolve those contradictions. They don't tell us whether Cheney was right or wrong, hero or villain, visionary or reckless. They simply acknowledge that he was here, that he served, that he shaped American policy during consequential years—and that his passing marks the end of an era.

Maybe that's enough. In a time when Americans agree on almost nothing, when every public figure becomes a lightning rod, when basic facts are disputed, the half-staff flag offers a rare moment of shared ritual. We might interpret it differently. We might feel vastly different emotions when we see it. But we're all looking at the same symbol, participating in the same tradition, acknowledging the same reality.

"The flag is not just cloth and ink. It is a symbol of our nation—all that we have been, all that we are, and all that we hope to be."

— Traditional American observation

As November progresses and flags eventually rise back to full height, we'll return to our arguments, our competing narratives, our irreconcilable differences. But for now, for these weeks in early winter, the nation pauses. The flags hang lower. And we're reminded that some things—death, service, the passage of generations—transcend even our deepest political divisions.

The next time you see a flag at half-staff, you'll know it's not just following protocol. It's participating in a centuries-old conversation about who we honor, what we value, and how we mark the moments when significant chapters of our shared story come to a close.

For more stories on national observances and American political history, visit Viral Vibes Hub and Reporters Viral Vibes Hub.