{"id":829,"date":"2013-12-06T09:52:24","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T14:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=829"},"modified":"2025-04-07T13:25:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T17:25:31","slug":"american-flags-lowered-to-half-staff-in-honor-of-nelson-mandela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/american-flags-lowered-to-half-staff-in-honor-of-nelson-mandela\/","title":{"rendered":"American Flags Lowered to Half-Staff in Honor of Nelson Mandela"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Nelson<\/a>
Nelson Mandela<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

THE WHITE HOUSE
\nOffice of the Press Secretary
\nFor Immediate Release December 5, 2013
\nDEATH OF NELSON MANDELA<\/p>\n

– – – – – – –<\/p>\n

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA\u00a0A PROCLAMATION<\/p>\n

\u00a0Today, the United States has lost a close friend,\u00a0South Africa has lost an incomparable liberator, and the\u00a0world has lost an inspiration for freedom, justice, and human\u00a0dignity — Nelson Mandela is no longer with us, he belongs to\u00a0the ages.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Nelson Mandela achieved more than could be expected of\u00a0any man.\u00a0 His own struggle inspired others to believe in the\u00a0promise of a better world, and the rightness of reconciliation. \u00a0Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his\u00a0own freedom for the freedom of others, he transformed South\u00a0Africa — and moved the entire world.\u00a0 His journey from a\u00a0prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human\u00a0beings — and countries — can change for the better.\u00a0 His\u00a0commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed\u00a0him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether\u00a0in the life of nations or our own personal lives.<\/p>\n

\u00a0While we mourn his loss, we will forever honor Nelson\u00a0Mandela’s memory.\u00a0 He left behind a South Africa that is free\u00a0and at peace with itself — a close friend and partner of the\u00a0United States.\u00a0 And his memory will be kept in the hearts of\u00a0billions who have been lifted up by the power of his example.<\/p>\n

We will not see the likes of Nelson Mandela again.\u00a0 It\u00a0falls to us to carry forward the example that he set — to make\u00a0decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the\u00a0difference that one person can make; and to strive for a future\u00a0that is worthy of his sacrifice.\u00a0 For now, let us pause and give\u00a0thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived — a man who took\u00a0history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe\u00a0toward justice.<\/p>\n

As a mark of respect for the memory of Nelson Mandela, by\u00a0the authority vested in me as President of the United States\u00a0by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America,\u00a0I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown\u00a0at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings\u00a0and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on\u00a0all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of\u00a0Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories\u00a0and possessions until sunset, December 9, 2013.\u00a0 I also direct\u00a0that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular\u00a0offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military\u00a0facilities and naval vessels and stations.<\/p>\n

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this\u00a0fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord\u00a0two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the\u00a0United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.<\/p>\n

BARACK OBAMA<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

The president has the authority to lower the flag for prominent people as he sees fit. The direct quote from flag code is \u201cAfter the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag may be flown at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or in accordance with recognized custom not inconsistent with law.\u201d This comes from the section titled Flying the Flag at Half-Staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to this article<\/a>, the last time it was lowered for a non-American was in 2005 when President Bush ordered the flags to half-staff for Pope John Paul II<\/p>\n

The official whitehouse proclamations can be seen here:<\/p>\n

Nelson Mandela<\/a><\/p>\n

Pope John Paul II<\/a><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. flag was also lowered following the deaths of:\u2013 Pope John Paul II, in 2005\u2013 King Hussein, of Jordan, in 1999\u2013 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in 1995\u2013 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, in 1981\u2013 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in 1965<\/p>\n

\u2013 United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, in 1961<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 5, 2013 DEATH OF NELSON MANDELA – – – – – – – BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA\u00a0A PROCLAMATION \u00a0Today, the United States has lost a close friend,\u00a0South Africa has lost an incomparable liberator, and the\u00a0world has lost an… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[28,149,24],"class_list":["post-829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flag-information","tag-american-flags","tag-barack-obama","tag-half-staff"],"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Flags Lowered to Half-Staff in Honor of Nelson Mandela - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/american-flags-lowered-to-half-staff-in-honor-of-nelson-mandela\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"American Flags Lowered to Half-Staff in Honor of Nelson Mandela - 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