Postal Service facilities are required to fly the POW-MIA flag year-round under a new federal law.
The law, which took effect in November, requires prominent federal buildings, national war memorials and Post Offices to fly the flag every day that the U.S. flag is flown.
Although the law only requires Post Offices to fly the POW-MIA flag, USPS will extend the requirement to all postal facilities, effective Dec. 5.
The POW-MIA flag was created during the Vietnam War by the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. The black-and-white flag features a silhouette of a prisoner of war in front of a guard tower and barbed wire and the words “You are not forgotten.”
Previously, postal facilities were required to fly the flag on special occasions and holidays.
USPS has updated its Administrative Support Manual, which explains the organization’s guidelines on flag display and maintenance, to reflect the new requirements.
Managers of facilities without a POW-MIA flag should order one immediately by using the instructions in the Administrative Support Manual’s POW-MIA Flag Display section.
