Is it proper to display the POW/MIA flag on motorcycles during a parade?

Sorry for the delay in responding. I was out of town. Here is what the US Flag Code says about displaying the US Flag on vehicles. § 7. Position and manner of display (b) The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender. The code is silent regarding motorcycles in particular. I think it reasonable to extend it's meaning to include any type of vechicle be it a horse drawn wagon or motorcycle. The context of this subsection § 7 is to speak of vehicles, be they boats or trains or motorcars, as having no distinction for the purpose at hand. The code makes no exceptions depending on from where the flag is viewed. The flag will almost always be viewed incorrectly from some viewer's standpoint. The way I read the code, the operative instruction puts the US flag on the vehicle's RIGHT side no matter where one might stand as the vehicle passes by. Even a bike has a left and right side. I would put it on the BIKE's right side. The Code can not place the flag in the position of honor as it will be seen from every viewer at once. So, just as with flags placed on a stage, The Code settles the question based on the flag's own right. As the flag moves forward in a parade, The Flag's own right is also your bike's right fender. To sum up, flag placement is from the point of view of Old Glory, not the point of view of the viewer. Keep in mind that the Flag Code can not anticipate every circumstance. Well meaning individuals may come to different conclusions regarding its meaning. As well, The Code is not a law. It is a suggested set of protocol measures. What do you say?>>

MOUNTING A FLAG CASE ON A MOTORCYCLE > Hello, > First of all, you have a great site! What sticks in my mind about your business is that its what I call ol-fashioned-hi-tech. The best of both worlds. Usually, you can find a convenient -impersonal site online, or on the contrary, you can find an inconvenient down-home type store around town. You guys fill the narrow niche of offering both. Just the consideration that you put into the notations of your store hours speaks volumes about your business ethics. I like that. I'm e-mailing to ask you some important questions regarding displaying a funeral/burial flag.... > On Pearl Harbor Day in 2001, my grandfather passed away. He was an Army soldier during WWII. My father, of course was given the flag. He himself is a Vietnam Veteran and participates yearly in the "Rolling Thunder" motorcycle parade. If you are not familiar, it involves 500,000 motorcyclists rolling through DC every Memorial Day weekend in honor of Veterans and especially POW/MIA's. My father commented once on considering taking my grandfathers flag with him on the ride. I am a machinist. I am planning on making a chromed aluminum flag case for the burial flag of my grandfather to fit onto my father's motorcycle. It will be located where the passengers backrest normally is. I am making brackets and mounting rods so that the unseen back side of the flag case will double as a backrest as well. I am planning on sealing every seam with an "O" ring material from the inside so as not to be visible. It will have a plexiglass front for viewing and inboard mounted LED's for illumination @ night. I am also planning on engraving an "In Memory" section on the 25" leg of the case; probably his name, rank, DOB and DOD. Needless to say, it will be an awesome case, but my main concerns are as follows.

>1. Is the overall idea disrespectful? My Answer : There is a link to the text of The Flag Code on our etiquette page. I see nothing in there that would indicate your idea is disrespectful.

> 2. Is it disrespectful to display the funeral flag in the case with the point facing downward since only part of the union is visible? (This is my best mounting option) My Answer : The code simply does not address any point this specific. At any rate, whenever a flag is in a case only part of the union is ever visible. > 3. Is there some sort of taboo about having a flag in a metal case?

My Answer : None known to me. > 4. Is the lighting disrespectful? (Thought about the rule of never leaving a flag @ night unless lit.) My Answer : I see nothing in the code that would consider the lights disrespectful. I appreciate your concern in getting it right. The fine points you raise were not anticipated when they wrote the code. Sorry I can not be more specific.