Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Last week, Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga released a memorandum with a proposal to ‘fly colors’ at all local DOE campuses. Resulting from that publication, both the US and American Samoan flags have become a source of much interest in the territory. With that in mind, it is also common to see some vehicles flying the Independent Samoa flag — by itself — on a daily basis in the Territory.

This has caused some of our local residents in the territory to ask if that’s legal. Samoa News looked into it — and found no statute forbidding the flying of another country’s flag in our territory — that’s the American way. However, it does bring up the question of respect.

The flag of a nation/ territory is its symbol. It serves as a representation of the values, culture, history, and people that make it what it is. It should come as no surprise then that in the US, such an important symbol has laws that protect it, and control how it may be used.

According to the US flag code, provided by the Legal Information Institute, the flag cannot be below any other nearby flag. It may also never touch the ground or be damaged on purpose. In fact, if it is extensively damaged, or walked on while on the ground, the person responsible might be fined and/ or imprisoned for a year.

While, for most of these regulations, there is virtually no attached enforcement if they are broken, it is still considered a matter of extreme disrespect to violate them.

As a territory of the United States, American Samoa is subject to these laws, and for the many American Samoan servicemembers who have given their lives to protect that flag, it is an issue of honor and respect.

Lemanu’s DOE proposal would “initiate a daily standard practice of assembling students to witness the raising of the flags, reciting the pledge of allegiance, and singing the national anthems of both the US and American Samoa,” according to the memo.

Of his proposal, the governor noted that “pride in our nation and pride in ourselves go hand in hand.”

“These are lessons we should learn at home and at school from a very early age.”