JUNE 3, 2025 |
Photo – Fallen Heros – Courtesy Foreign Affairs Defense National Security
Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman has co-sponsored a bill that would formally recognize the symbolic meanings of military flag-folding ceremonies.
This past May, following Memorial Day, Florida Representative Mario Díaz-Balart introduced H.R. 3583 in the House of Representatives. The bill will ensure that all military funeral honors details recite the 13 Folds of Honor when presenting the American flag in tribute to a current or former member of the Armed Forces.
Under the bill, each fold of the flag in a military funeral tribute carries a specific meaning. The first fold symbolizes life. The second fold reflects the religious belief in eternal life. The third honors those who gave their lives in defense of the country.
Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman joined 12 other members of Congress in co-sponsoring the 13 Folds of Honor Act. Of the 13 total co-sponsors, 12 are Republicans, with California’s Jimmy Panetta as the sole Democrat.
The bill seeks to revive a previous effort by Congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart.
In 2024, the two Florida Congressmen sponsored an earlier version of the 13 Folds to Honor Act, defining the meaning of each fold in the American flag during a flag ceremony. Additionally, the bill sought to honor the 13 service members killed in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, by associating each fold of the American flag with their sacrifice.
Marine Corps Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum of Jackson, Wyoming, was among those who lost their lives on that day.
On August 26, 2021, an Islamic State suicide bomber detonated a car bomb at the main entrance to the Hamid Karzai International Airport. The explosion killed 182 people, including 169 Afghan civilians and the 13 U.S. service members.
Many critics blame the deaths of the service members on the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal policy, specifically the decision to close Bagram Air Base and rely solely on Hamid Karzai International Airport for evacuations.
Congressman Díaz-Balart’s 2024 bill did not receive a vote and ultimately died in Congress. However, Díaz-Balart and 13 co-sponsors, including Congresswoman Hageman, are attempting to resurrect the 13 Folds of Honor bill.
In a May 30th social media post, Congresswoman Hageman wrote, “There’s currently no official language used while conducting an official flag-folding ceremony. This week, I cosponsored the 13 Folds of Honor Act which provides verbiage that has been informally adopted by the veteran community to recognize the meaning of the flag and service to the country.”
The House of Representatives referred the new 13 Folds to Honor Act to the House Judiciary Committee, which has yet to review the bill.
