Just in time for Flag Day and the Glorious Fourth! Many traditions surround the American flag; among them is the proper method of folding the flag before storing it or presenting it at a ceremony. Regardless of size, it takes thirteen folds to properly fold our Nation’s flag: two lengthwise folds and eleven triangular folds. Some people have found significance in that fact, linking the number 13 with the thirteen original colonies, and they have attempted to attach a special meaning to each fold. In fact, the flag is folded thirteen times in order to achieve a compact and pleasing result; the number 13 is coincidental. Several people have written “Thirteen Folds” ceremonies meant to be read while the folding process is taking place. Lt. Col. Samuel Hudspath, Chief of Protocol of the United States Air Force, who has researched the subject, has written: There is no shortage of scripts
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