Flags of Distinction

They fly briefly over the Capitol before gracing Americans' homes.

WASHINGTON - In the shadow of the U.S. Capitol dome, the Stars and Stripes run up the pole, flutter in the breeze for about 10 seconds and fall back down - 500 times a day, 100,000 times a year.

That's what it takes to fill orders from across the country for flags flown over the Capitol. As patriotic holidays like Memorial Day approach, the Capitol Flag Office goes into high gear, wading through a backlog of flag requests, said Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol, which runs the flag operation.

From one of three poles discreetly positioned on the Capitol roof, the flags are delivered to members of Congress and then scattered across the country to the doorsteps of freshly minted Eagle Scouts, war veterans or any American with a flagpole and $30 for the large size nylon flag.

"I could go over to Kmart, Costco or Sam's and pick up a flag, but it just means more coming from Washington," said Jim Oberholz, 77, of Maryland Heights.

It means so much that Oberholz orders his flags two at a time from Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country. When they arrive, he flies them 24 hours a day, seven days a week until they wear out. A local Boy Scout troop comes to retrieve the worn flags and burn them in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.

His 16 years in the Air Force made Oberholz a stickler for and an advocate for flag-flying, he said. Since he put up his 25-foot flagpole, six of his neighbors in the new subdivision have done the same.

"The flag, to us, is so important. Anything you can do to get more people to display it is a godsend," he said.

Like everything in Washington, a pre-flown flag navigates the maze of the federal bureaucracy.

"It's got a very personal touch to it," Malecki said. Each flag passes through several pairs of hands on its journey.

All flag orders flow through the offices of members of Congress. Constituents can choose flag size and type and specify a date for the flag to be flown. The prices range from $17 to $30. The Architect of the Capitol charges a $4.05 "flying fee."

Once an order is placed, an office intern or staffer will pick up a flag from the House or Senate office supply stores, where wholesale flags run from $9 to $13.

The flag office has several full-time employees who spend hours every day raising and lowering flags on three poles, Malecki said. In the basement office, others type of a certificate of authenticity that accompanies the flag, signed by he Architect of the Capitol.

For Debra Henderson, a flag flown over the Capitol represented the culmination of a two-year journey of discovery.

Henderson, 51, of St. Louis County, and her family researched and pieced together a book to help her father learn about and pay tribute to his brother's service in World War II. They dug up information on Melvin Amelung's unit, his role in the Battle of the Bulge and his path through Europe. Amelung died in 2000.

When they completed the tribute book, they presented it, along with the Capitol flag, to Henderson's father, who didn't want to be identified.

"Now we can show his brother does know that we are very proud, and we enjoyed the journey," Henderson said.