Lowering the flag

I did not know Richard Clewett personally but read his front page tribute in the Dec. 20, 2023, edition of the Times with interest, respect and admiration. 

Those who did know him obviously share the view that he exemplified the qualities that make Ozark County citizens special. As a fellow veteran, I was pleased to read that he was honored with a service that included full military honors. 

The courthouse flag had been flying at half mast earlier in the week, and I wondered who was being honored. That flag was still at half mast on Wednesday, but the flag at the USPS office in Gainesville had not been lowered at all that I was aware of. The arrival of our Ozark County Times answered the looming questions but raised a new question - why?

Even though flying the American flag upside down is a universal sign of distress, the lowering of the American flag tribute is not a matter of individual nor local governmental discretion. The flying at half mast is a signal of mourning that can be ordered only by the president, a state governor or the mayor of the District of Columbia [4U.S.C.7].

The website flagexpress.com lists all instances of state governors authorizing lowering of the U.S. flag for an individual. There are relatively few nationwide. If that listing is accurate, the governor of Missouri did not authorize lowering this flag in honor of Richard Clewett. This is not to say that Mr. Clewett should not be honored, but that is something that the governor of Missouri would have to decide.

From a practical point of view, a state governor can not honor every deserving citizen in their state with a lowering of the U.S. flag upon their demise. Local governments cannot exercise that prerogative independently. I would hope that this national tradition and code would be respected here in Ozark County, as I’m sure Richard Clewett would as well. 

Wayne G. Sayles, 

Gainesville