Does the Army have it “backwards?”
For FLag Day this yer, Tuttle resident and Korean War veteran Bill Garrisson brought some valid flag etiquette issues to my attention. Here’s what he wrote:
I read with interest your article about the flag in Sunday’s Oklahoman.
There is one thing I wonder about though, and I thought you might know the answer.
In your article, you state, “When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. And I agree.
However, the flag is displayed with the union to the flag’s own left on our soldier’s uniforms in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have never seen the flag displayed in this manner either on soldier’s uniforms or police or other public servants. Before the Korean War, it was illegal to display the flag on uniforms at all.
Does the Congress write laws concerning the flag or the observances of flag etiquette? Or, am I just behind the times?
My research found the following protocol from www.americanflags.org:
Many sharp-eyed civilians have noted an apparent oddity on the uniform sleeves of American military men: backward flag patches. Why is Old Glory flipped around like that?
Only the flag patches affixed to right shoulders of uniforms are reversed, so the blue field of stars faces forward. (Left shoulder patches aren’t a problem, as the stars face forward without meddling.) The reversal was inspired by the age-old practice of carrying flags into battle. When fastened to a standard, the American flag’s blue-and-white portion is always closest to the pole. A flag bearer rushing into the fray, then, would naturally lead with the stars. In fact, it would be virtually impossible to lead with the stripes—the flag would simply wilt and wrap around the pole, rather than waving triumphantly in the wind.
For a serviceman or -woman to lead with shoulder-borne stripes, then, might smack of cowardice and retreat, as if the toter were backpedaling away from the conflict. The official Army guidelines on the donning of flag patches add that the forward-facing stars give “the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.” So perhaps it’s best to think of every military person as a latter-day flag bearer, leading the headlong charge into battle.a
Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia , is the governing authority for the wear of Army uniforms. Paragraph 28-18 governs the wear of the United States Flag on Army Uniforms.
Many sharp-eyed civilians have noted an apparent oddity on the uniform sleeves of American military men: backward flag patches. Why is Old Glory flipped around like that?
Only the flag patches affixed to right shoulders of uniforms are reversed, so the blue field of stars faces forward. (Left shoulder patches aren’t a problem, as the stars face forward without meddling.) The reversal was inspired by the age-old practice of carrying flags into battle. When fastened to a standard, the American flag’s blue-and-white portion is always closest to the pole. A flag bearer rushing into the fray, then, would naturally lead with the stars. In fact, it would be virtually impossible to lead with the stripes—the flag would simply wilt and wrap around the pole, rather than waving triumphantly in the wind.
For a serviceman or -woman to lead with shoulder-borne stripes, then, might smack of cowardice and retreat, as if the toter were backpedaling away from the conflict. The official Army guidelines on the donning of flag patches add that the forward-facing stars give “the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.” So perhaps it’s best to think of every military person as a latter-day flag bearer, leading the headlong charge into battle.
As for who set the rule for this policy, check out: http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/?p=77
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