HALF-STAFF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When should the flag be flown at half-staff?
What is the proper procedure to fly your flag at half-staff?
Who can order half-staffing?
What about half-staff to honor other citizens?
What if you can't lower your flag?
HALF-STAFF ALERTS
ENTIRE UNITED STATES: SEPTEMBER 10 - 14, 2025
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, September 14, 2025. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
ENTIRE UNITED STATES: SEPTEMBER 11, 2025 - PATRIOT DAY
Patriot Day, September 11, 2025,
The U.S. flag is flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset by federal law, as ordered by presidential proclamation, to honor the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Public Law 107-89 officially designated September 11th as Patriot Day and directs all federal departments, agencies, and instrumentalities to display the flag at half-staff. Individuals and organizations also observe this day with appropriate programs and activities to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost.
WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 10,2025
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #273 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Wed., Sept. 10, 2025, in honor of U.S. Army Private First Class Leon R. Karwacki, who lost his life in World War II at the age of 27 and whose remains have been identified and returned to Wisconsin for burial.
“Private First Class Leon R. Karwacki was a hero who selflessly answered the call to serve and gave his life defending the values and freedoms we hold most dear,” said Gov. Evers. “We are forever grateful for his service and sacrifice, and it is an honor to welcome Private First Class Karwacki back to his home state so that he may be finally laid to rest.”
From Milwaukee, Private First Class Karwacki was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, and in September 1944, his battalion advanced against enemy forces near Stolberg, Germany. On Sept. 17, 1944, Private First Class Karwacki was killed during an attack, and due to the intensity of enemy fire, his body could not be recovered. Having made the ultimate sacrifice, Private First Class Karwacki was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and other campaign honors recognizing his brave service. In 1945, American graves registration personnel recovered a set of unidentified remains and subsequently interred them at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the remains and sent them to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory for analysis. Using dental, anthropological, and circumstantial evidence, the remains of Private First Class Karwacki were positively identified.
Private First Class Karwacki will be buried with full military honors on Wed., Sept. 10, 2025, in Milwaukee.
Executive Order #273 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Wed., Sept. 10, 2025.
