Tennessee § 4-1-406 - Flag display protocol — Display for soldiers killed in line of duty.

§ 4-1-406. Flag display protocol — Display for soldiers killed in line of duty.

Whenever the official United States flag or the official state flag is displayed, appropriate flag display protocol requires that when flown on the same pole on property owned, operated or controlled by the state or any political subdivision of the state, including all educational institutions, the order of placement from top to bottom shall be the official United States flag, the official state flag, and any other flags. As used in this subsection (b): “County” includes, but is not limited to, any county having a metropolitan form of government; “Member of the armed services” or “member” means a citizen of Tennessee who is a member of the armed forces of the United States, or a member of a reserve or Tennessee national guard unit who is called into active military service of the United States, as defined in § 58-1-102, and is stationed outside the United States during hostilities in which military personnel are entitled to combat compensation as determined by the United States department of defense; and “Political subdivision” means county or municipality. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, in the event a member of the armed services, while serving honorably, is killed in action or dies as a direct result of injuries sustained from a service connected, combat-related cause, the governor shall proclaim a state-wide day of mourning and shall order the state flag to be flown at half-staff over the state capitol during such period of mourning. The governor or the governor's designee shall notify the executive official of the political subdivision in which such member of the armed services resided of the deceased member's identity and the date of the day of mourning declared pursuant to subdivision (b)(2). The executive official of the political subdivision, or such official's designee, shall order any state flag hoisted on the property of the political subdivision to be flown at half-staff during such day of mourning. The names of all members of the armed services for whom a state-wide day of mourning is declared pursuant to subdivision (b)(2) shall be recorded in the journals of the senate and the house of representatives. Acts 2007, ch. 394, § 1; 2009, ch. 169, § 1; 2011, ch. 8, § 1.