Lifelong Newtown resident Chris Gardner drives past the flagpole on Main Street four to five times a day and says it still gives him "chills."

One of the first things he did after hearing about what happened on 12/14 was go to the flagpole and take a photo of the flag at half-staff.

"It really brought it home for me," Mr Gardner said.

The flag has been ordered to half-staff 66 times by President Barack Obama, more than any other president since the process was formalized in 1954.

"I've seen it up and down hundreds and hundreds of times," Chief Ray Corbo of Newtown Hook & Ladder Co #1 said.

Since Memorial Day of this year, the flag has been lowered to half-mast seven times after orders from President Obama and Governor Dannel P. Malloy.

"It's unfortunate we've had so many tragedies this summer," Mr Gardner, the keeper of the flagpole, said. "[It's] very striking when you're driving from any direction and you see it at half mast."

As keeper of the flagpole, Mr Gardner said he maintains the appearance of the pole, including fixing the signs around it and touching up paint; coordinates when the larger flag is raised in the summer and replaced with a smaller flag in the fall; and works with Newtown Hook & Ladder to ensure the flag is lowered to half-staff when it is ordered.

He added that when the flag is lowered it causes one to think about the reasoning behind it and if he is traveling with his children they will talk about why it is down.

"It's a good way for our community to reflect," Mr Gardner said.

After being informed the flag needs to be lowered, firefighters from Newtown Hook & Ladder will try to go to the flag as soon as possible and climb one of their ladder trucks to drop the rope that is about 25 feet up the pole, Chief Corbo said. The flag is then lowered with the rope.

"It's definitely an honor for all of us," Chief Corbo said, especially for himself, as a veteran. "Out there doing something for your town, it's a big deal."

Someone in the crew of four to six people from Newtown Hook & Ladder will always stop to ask why it is being lowered, he said. It's "not a happy occasion," but the firefighters are proud to do it.

"These volunteers put in a lot of effort," Chief Corbo added. "It's nice to be out there in the public."

He added that it usually takes the crew between seven and ten minutes to lower the flag down the 100-foot pole, and people will stop on Main Street to thank them.

David Lydem, a retired Newtown police officer, created the position of keeper of the flagpole in 1982 after noticing the pole was in "quite disrepair." He went on to serve in the position for more than 30 years, retiring last summer.

"It's welcoming to everyone who comes through town," he said about the flagpole. "There's people that really enjoy the historic value and looking at it."

After 9/11 and the Gulf War the flag started being lowered often and that is continuing today, he added. People have even called him asking why the flag is at half-staff.

"It's normal course of business now," Mr Lydem said. "That's not right. ... The whole meaning of it gets watered down."

The flag should be lowered following the etiquette in the laws, for the death of high dignitaries, he added.

"The flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a state, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory," according to the United States Flag Code.

Chief Corbo added that when it is lowered for reasons it should not be, it takes away the significance and people notice. He suggested when the flag is lowered the town's website could post the reasoning for people who do not know.

"Because it's so visible, it gets people thinking about why it's down," he said.

Mr Gardner added that it is "really a community effort" to maintain to flagpole and raise and lower the flag.

"It's such a wonderful symbol for our community," he said. "It means a lot to a lot of people."