Q Are women required to take off their caps when the national anthem is sung?
A No. According to the U.S. Flag Code, when the national anthem is played or sung, everyone should stand, face the flag and place the right hand over the heart. Men should remove their cap with their right hand and hold the cap over their left shoulder so the hand will be in line with the heart.
Men and women in uniform are to salute during the anthem, rather than remove their hats.
FLAGS AT FORT SNELLING
Q Does Fort Snelling National Cemetery have flags on every gravesite over Memorial Day weekend?
A Some national cemeteries place small American flags on every grave. (It's usually done by volunteer organizations). Fort Snelling doesn't follow this practice, said cemetery representative Ken Everson. "We do our Avenue of Flags, many hundreds of 5 1/2-by-9-foot flags spread throughout cemetery," he said. He added that people are free to place small flags on their loved one's graves.
BACKWARD FLAGS?
Q Why do flags on uniforms and on airplanes look like they are backward?
A They don't anymore.
Whitney Smith, a vexillologist (flag expert) and executive director of the Flag Research Center in Winchester, Mass., explained that during World War II, the U.S. flag was often depicted on airplanes. "The normal artistic rendition, with the canton of blue with the white stars, gave the impression that the flag was flying backward," he said.
