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February 13, 2006

Service flags fly again in support of troops

-- Published in Fort Polk Guardian (Feb. 10, 2006) --
By: MICHELLE LINDSEY, Guardian staff writer

Most military families show support for their service member. One way of doing this that is becoming popular again is to display the service flag.
The flag is white with a red border and one or more blue stars in the center –– one star for each family member serving in the military during times of war or hostility. Alternately, one star may be used with the number of service members in Arabic numerals beneath. The only authorized color is blue.
The display of the service flag, a common sight in homes of deployed service members during World Wars I and II, has re-emerged during the War on Terror.
The flag is an official banner authorized by the Department of Defense and was designed and patented by World War I Army Capt. Robert L. Queissner of the 5th Ohio Infantry who had two sons serving on the front line, according to www.usflag.org.
In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson became part of the service flag’s history when he approved a suggestion by the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defenses. They proposed that mothers who lost a child serving in the war wear a gold gilt star on the traditional black mourning arm band. This decision led to the tradition of covering the blue star on the service flag with a gold star to indicate that the service member was killed or died while serving from causes other than dishonorable, however the gold star must be smaller than the blue so that it forms a border.
The colors of the stars became symbolic with the blue star representing hope and pride and the gold star representing sacrifice to the cause of liberty and freedom.
The web site explains that, “During World War II, the practice of displaying the service flag became widespread.”
The Department of Defense revised specifications for the design, manufacture and display of the Service Flag in 1966. The United States Congress codified the service flag the following year, specifying who is authorized to display it.
United States Code, Title 36, Section 901, states the following authorizations:
n Individuals Entitled To Display Service Flag — A service flag approved by the Secretary of Defense may be displayed in a window of the place of residence of individuals who are members of the immediate family of an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged.
n Individuals Entitled To Display Service Lapel Button — A service lapel button approved by the Secretary may be worn by members of the immediate family of an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged.
The code also specifies who is licensed to manufacture and sell service flags and service lapel buttons. It goes on to specify that organizations such as churches, schools, colleges, fraternities, sororities, societies and places of business may display the flag if a member of the armed forces of the United States was or is associated with the organization.
“The service flag may be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States may be engaged, for the duration of such period of war or hostilities,” the code clarifies.
Fort Polk families have adopted this form of support and service flags can be seen in homes throughout post.

Display of the service flag

The service flag is an authorized flag of the Department of Defense and must be displayed with respect in accordance with United States Code, Title 36, Section 901:
–– The service flag shall be treated with dignity and respect. When displayed with the flag of the United States, the service flag shall be of approximately equal size, but never larger than the flag of the United States. The flag of the United States shall occupy the position of honor.
–– When the service flag is displayed other than flown from a staff, it shall be suspended either horizontally or vertically.
–– Users are cautioned against the use of the service flag for advertising purposes. It shall not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs or printed, or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discarded or used as any portion of a costume or athletic uniform. Advertising signs shall not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the service flag is flown.
–– If a gold star is added to the service flag, it should take the position of honor and be placed over the blue star that is positioned closest to the staff.
–– The gold star should be smaller than the blue star to create a blue border surrounding the gold star

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