Half-Staff Days · July 27
Korean War Veterans Armistice Day
July 27 marks the 1953 armistice that ended the fighting in Korea. Federal law directs the flag to half-staff at government buildings and installations to honor the Americans who died there.
When: July 27 · How long: Sunrise to sunset · Flags: United States, at federal buildings & installations
On July 27, 1953, the armistice signed at Panmunjom ended three years of fighting in Korea. More than 36,000 Americans died in the conflict — often called the Forgotten War — and over 100,000 were wounded, holding the line that kept South Korea free.
Congress set July 27 as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day in 36 U.S.C. § 127, which directs federal agencies and installations to fly the flag at half-staff that day. It is a narrower order than the five nationwide half-staff days — it binds federal buildings and installations rather than every flag in the country — but it takes the flag low all the same, so it belongs on this calendar.
The other half-staff days: Peace Officers Memorial Day · Memorial Day · Patriot Day · National Fallen Firefighters Memorial · Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day · All observances on one page