Upside down flag

[PARAGON]

Reading CP's little excursion reminded me of our trip down to the farm yesterday. We have to drive through several podunk towns to get to the land and as we come through this one "town" (it used to be a town, it barely has one gas station now and nothing else except the post office).

The post office shares the same building as the Mason's meeting place. Well, there's a flag pole there and it's in a 90 degree turn. As we come around the turn the flag catches my eye and as we drive by something made me stop. I asked Mrs.ssippi to look at the flag again because I think it was upside down. It was wrapped around the pole but was indeed upside down.

I immediately started turning the truck around saying something must be wrong. She asks what I was talking about and I tell her that the flag flying upside down is a sign of distress but as I say it and am turning around, logic starts kicking in. Podunk town, post office...... exactly what kind of distress could be going on that would allow someone to go outside, lower the flag, unhook it, and then raise it back again, UPSIDE DOWN.

Anyway, I send her inside to tell the mail clerk they put the flag up upside down and some idiot was in there getting his mail and said, "Oh yeah, I noticed that."

Afterwards, I've mentioned it to others and they've all said they thought that flying the flag upside down was a sign of disrespect, even my Dad who served 20 years in the Army. My immediate thought was danger until reason kicked in. Guess they don't teach soldiers the same things they teach Marines.