Posted on Apr 6, 2014
SSG(P) Technician
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<P>Before anyone comments that it isn't displayed incorrectly, please hear me out! <BR></P>
<P>I absolutely understand that it is displayed so that it appears that the flag is moving forward into battle, rather than retreating from battle. I like the argument.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>However according to US Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, the Union is always to appear to the observers left. It does mention that a "flag patch" may be warn on the uniforms of the members of the Armed Forces, but it does not say that it should have the Union appear the observers right, if worn on the right shoulder. </P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Instead of making up arbitrary excuses for why we don't follow the US Flag Code&nbsp;shouldn't we just wear it the correct way, or&nbsp;petition the Congress to pass an amendment to the Code to allow for us to wear it this way?<BR><BR>Here is a few quotes from the&nbsp;U.S. Code, Title&nbsp;4, Chapter 1. These are the only quotes that I could find after actually reading the entire&nbsp;chapter, (which took me a couple of hours) if you find any more please let me know!<BR><BR>Also,&nbsp;if I understand the law structure correctly, this supercedes the UCMJ and definitely supercedes AR 670-1. If I am incorrect on that, please let me know as well! Thank you!<BR>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri>“The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender." (U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7(b))</FONT></FONT></FONT></P><FONT color=#000000><FONT face=Calibri><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>"When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street."(U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7(i))</FONT></P><o:p>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>"No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart."<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>(U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8(j))<o:p></o:p></FONT></P></o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT>
Edited >1 y ago
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SGT 94 E Radio Comsec Repairer
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SPC Needham,<div><br></div><div>U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1 applies only to the flag itself, not representations of the flag. &nbsp;Our patch is not a flag; it is a representation of the flag. &nbsp;We don't salute our patch, lower it to half mast, or illuminate it at night, because it is not a flag. &nbsp;Therefore, Title 4 does not apply to our patch or how we display it.</div>
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SGT Combat Engineer
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7 y
<H1>I see</H1>
<UL>
<LI>what</LI>
<LI>you</LI>
<LI>did</LI>
<LI>there.</LI>
</UL>
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Sgt Ronald Paden
Sgt Ronald Paden
>1 y
Sgt Thundercloud, You said it so well, it is a fixed patch.
But if it were a free flowing flag, approached from the right going forward it ’would ‘ flow to the rear as well anyway
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MSgt Allen Chandler
MSgt Allen Chandler
5 y
If that was true then it would be allowed to wear it upside down. It’s not a Play in the sense of it being on the flagpole but it’s a flag.
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PV2 Violet Case
PV2 Violet Case
1 y
MSgt Allen Chandler - I do agree with you. Our military needs to stay in uniform all the same or they become looking like disorganized disrespectful individuals... Like Biden was the day he broke the flag code on flag day of all days and called it pride day now and hung the pride flag where our flag should have hung. Our country is becoming the laughing stalk of the world it is heart breaking to see. If people do not like the rules or our military and the constitution we are supposed to protect please don't sign up. Showing weakness and disorginization show the enemy this too.
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
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The easiest solution is to move the flag from the right shoulder to the left shoulder - which solves two problems at once:<div><br></div><div>1. It moves the flag to the left of the wearer - closest to the heart.</div><div>2. It puts the blue field back on the observer's left - as intended.</div><div><br></div><div>BONUS benefit: It still looks like its charging into battle!</div><div><br></div><div>Its a win-win-win for everyone!</div>
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MAJ Brigade Logistics Officer (S4)
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11 y
The right sleeve is also where we put our combat patch, which denotes the honor of having served our country in a combat theater. But since the flag patch is worn even before one deploys, I would agree that it makes more sense to place it on the left, for the reasons MAJ Bryan Zeski stated.
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MAJ Intelligence Officer
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11 y
And not just formations. When walking as a casual group (aka Gaggle Formation), the highest-ranking individual should be on the right side from the perspective of the members of the group.

There's a lot of history to the right side that isn't simply biblical, such as our salute and the origins of that (the dominant hand for most people, although there is conflict over the exact origin of that being the preferred hand*)

*= Some say it dates to medieval knights holding weapons and tipping their visor with the right hand while holding a horse's reins with the left, others say it dates back to roman custom of showing the right hand as not carrying a weapon to indicate you mean no threat, and of course there are other theories.
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MSgt Allen Chandler
MSgt Allen Chandler
5 y
SSG(P) (Join to see) - It’s the only flag on your uniform and therefore it’s always the upmost decal
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PV2 Violet Case
PV2 Violet Case
1 y
It has been tradition of military for decades even centuries to use the right as the prominant. Why do children now day always want to disrespect the traditions or change them? I happy you all joined the military it should be teaching you rules and discipline. But the military were to accomodate every little cry out our military will become a discorganized mess like our country is. The military used to be honored much higher when they were not whining and did as it is supposed to do. I was one of the first women groups trained infantry/combat in the army in 1978 and they were very hard on us because back then women should be home having babies or taking care of them house. Dont you think we wanted to change a few things besides just women being allowed in combat/infantry? When we did try to say anything it was a rub of the thumb across the pointer finger representing this is the smallest violin playing my heart bleeds for you & then he would say suck it up butter cup. And that what I am saying now. If we all did it before you, so can you. stop whining and trying to change our once strong military image and turning it into cry babies. Im sorry but thats the way the military taught me to talk.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
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Who remembers the Chocolate Chips? This is a photo from Somalia in the 90s. The right side, or reverse that has dominated since Afghanistan is the result of cooperation between nations to readily identify nationality of Soldiers in multi-national task forces, it is worn on the arm that is raised to render a salute. If you deploy or are otherwise assigned to a multi national location, everyone wears the flag on the right, not just the Americans. Feel free to blame the New World Order or anyone else for our participation in One World Government that created the problem of flying our flag "backwards"...<img src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/0e60244/ [login to see] /resize/652x%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2Fc4%2F27b3698489f12eed422cedb4aa7a46%2F51911widemodern_somalia_011014.jpg" class="img-responsive block-generous" alt="A U.S. Marine patrols the streets of Kismayu, Somalia, on Dec. 20, 1992. " title="(Lynne Sladky/AP)" data-size="rectangle652" height="413" width="620"><div class="pta-link-card"><div class="pta-link-card-content"><div class="pta-link-card-title"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/0e60244/ [login to see] /resize/652x>/quality/85/?url=/cmsmedia/c4/27b3698489f12eed422cedb4aa7a46/51911widemodern_somalia_011014.jpg"></a></div><div class="pta-link-card-description">nA ¶û’E.eûGM·+äNø§»ª41–Q$È%UîAÎ&gt;´˜ó®¸}íÊýhÏʒ–»Õ&amp;}Ý«½)ÕÔ
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SSG Aircraft Mechanic
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MPs traditionally wear their brassards on the left arm. If we moved the flag patch to the left arm, where would the MPs wear their brassards???
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CW2 Joseph Evans
CW2 Joseph Evans
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SSG (Join to see) They would wear the flag on their brassard.
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SSG Aircraft Mechanic
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But CW2 Joseph Evans , the "brassard" these days is just a MP patch worn on the flap of the left shoulder pocket.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
CW2 Joseph Evans
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True, but it used to be with multinational forces, the flag would be displayed on the brassard.
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Should the Army stop displaying the flag incorrectly?
SFC Michael Hasbun
11
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Edited 7 y ago
My theory has always been that one of our main suppliers accidentally made a ton of them backwards. To save face, some company rep probably convinced some General, who may or may not be invested in the company, to pitch the backwards flag idea. In exchange, guaranteed job for the General upon retirement. We've all heard the story line about it flying backwards into battle. That's not part of "our history" that "flying backwards" speech was distributed with the new patches... That was never a part of our lexicon until the creation of ACU's.
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LTC Stephan Porter
LTC Stephan Porter
7 y
Not so, we had the flag patch with the BDU too!
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LTC John Griscom
LTC John Griscom
7 y
The reason given is the Union of the Flag is always facing the front. Look at the way US Flagged airlines have the representation of the Flag on their aircraft.
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
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LTC John Griscom Air Force One also displays the Union of the Flag nearest the front of the aircraft! My last car displayed flag decals in a similar fashion.
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CSM Charles Hayden
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SSG Robert Burns
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Hey! &nbsp;Who told you to think!!?!? &nbsp;Cut it out!
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SSG(P) Technician
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Now that I read (2) as posted above (which was copy and pasted from AR 670-1) it appears to be in disagreement with itself.

It says that the star field faces forward, or to the flag's own right. Yet we wear it so that the star field faces forward, but to the flags LEFT.

Or am I missunderstanding this?

This thought just occurred to me by the way.
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SSG(P) Technician
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I don't understand why you are so upset about this subject Vaughan, but if you don't like it you are free to ignore it. You are also free to post needless, purposely useless, comments if you so please. I really don't care at all. 
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SFC Signal Support Systems Specialist
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We already did this Vaughan.
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SGT Horizontal Construction Engineer
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SPC Needham, I think you are just slightly confused by all the big words they like to use in regulations. I have had to reread paragraphs 4 or 5 times to be sure I was understanding it correctly. To answer your question: on the reverse flag the star field does face towards the flags own left. Just take your flag patch and look at it.
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CSM Aircraft Maintenance Senior Sergeant
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7866123078 aa67c47832
On a similar note, it's too bad nobody&nbsp;squared this guy away for&nbsp;his tattoos and haircut.
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1LT Nick Kidwell
1LT Nick Kidwell
11 y
Rb airborne
Rb iwojima
Rb spr
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I wonder what WWII would have been like if we had modern SGMs and CSMs back then? I envision something like this:
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SSG Gerhard S.
SSG Gerhard S.
11 y
Love it!
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SSG Jim Foreman
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What truly amazes me is so many soldiers complaining about the way things are done in the military. How about shut the f up and do your job. None of you were drafted ....signed, a grumpy old veteran.
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SFC Michael Hasbun
SFC Michael Hasbun
7 y
What's the first step of the problem solving process? If everyone blindly pitches ahead, we never make progress or improve.
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MSgt Neil Greenfield
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Actually, although I like it, what is the purpose of the flag patch? It used to be something you wore if you were on UN duty if I remember correctly. You already have something that says ‘U.S. Army’. I never wore a flag patch when I wore fatigues or the BDUs.
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CW2 Stephen Pate
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How about we remove it from the "UTILITY" uniform so me and my mechanics can stop getting it dirty whenever we are rolling around on the ground working on vehicles?  I also think that we should remove everything from the uniform other than rank, name, and US Army, but that's just me.
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LTC John Griscom
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Check out how US Flag carriers (airlines) display the Flag. On the the aircraft's tail, the union is always facing forward.
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CW3 Walter Goerner
CW3 Walter Goerner
>1 y
Maybe you should walk around to the right side of the aircraft and look at the tail. Have you ever been to Andrews AFB? Even all the commercial type military aircraft displaying the U.S. Flag on the tail keep to U.S. Flag protocol and the field is ALWAYS displayed to the left.
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