The Army uniform has the Flag on the right shoulder (union fwd).

[Okiedokiejesus]

I was always taught in Boy Scouts that the blue field was always in the upper left hand side when facing the flag. I don't understand the flag being worn on our military uniforms with the blue field in the upper right hand side of the flag?

[ddlprov]

I am too learned;learnted in BOY SCOUT, and burden Green form

[RickAndCody]

Hi all. This is my first post here. I was told by an American Legion post in the Denver area that when embroidering an American flag on both sleeves of a shirt or jacket the star field should always be toward the back. Now, that seemed backwards to me but he was adamant about the star field being toward the back on both sleeves. Any thing to confirm what is appropriate would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick

[Peter Ansoff]

Greetings, Rick -- Welcome!

I was told by an American Legion post in the Denver area that when embroidering an American flag on both sleeves of a shirt or jacket the star field should always be toward the back.

Your friend at the Legion post is 100% wrong. Army and Air Force regulations are clear that the star field is always to the front, regardless of which sleeve the patch is on. This issue has been discussed quite a bit here in the form -- check out some of the earlier posts that include citations from the regulations.

Incidentally, the same thing applies to flags that are painted on the sides of vehicles and aircraft -- the star field is generally forward, so that the flag looks like it's flying in the wind as the vehicle moves.

Peter A.

[medtech87108]

That's an interesting explanation and makes as much sense as other traditions, but it still looks awkward. I wrote to the Army to ask about this and have not gotten a reply.

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi, Medtech!

That's an interesting explanation and makes as much sense as other traditions,

Again, it's more than just a tradition -- it's what is specified in US military regulations. Of course, those only apply to their respective military services. Civilians and civilian organizations can do it whichever way they wish.

but it still looks awkward

Why so? I think that it looks more awkward for the flag to be "flying" backwards, particularly when it's painted on vehicles and aircraft.

Peter Ansoff

[Captjay]

I am a member of an American Legion Post in Minnesota and am responsible for all Honor Guard duties of our post. I have had many discussions concerning this issue and have come to understand it as this; Veterans and active duty persons wear the right side patch in the reverse or "advance" position to signify that they are or have been in the military. The Boy Scouts and all other groups not associated with a military organization or group wear their right side patch in the "retreat" position. I don't know how true this is, but it sounds reasonable as I see most police, firefighter and other services tend to wear the patch with the union to the back which would follow along with this explanation. As many have stated before, the uniform code does not address this but I think it makes perfect sense.

[Peter Ansoff]

Greetings, Captjay -- welcome aboard!

Veterans and active duty persons wear the right side patch in the reverse or "advance" position to signify that they are or have been in the military.

Actually, this is not true. The Army wears its flag patches this way, but the other services do not. For example, the Air Force instruction on protocol (AFI 34-1201) says "Patches worn on uniforms depicting the United States Flag should be worn on the left shoulder, with the union to the viewers left." Each of the services has its own regulations, and there's no overall policy as far as I know.

I believe that most non-military government organizations put their patches on the left sleeve. This is true of the flags on NASA space suits, for example.

The Boy Scouts and all other groups not associated with a military organization or group wear their right side patch in the "retreat" position. I don't know how true this is, but it sounds reasonable as I see most police, firefighter and other services tend to wear the patch with the union to the back which would follow along with this explanation.

It's true that many non-military organizations wear their patches on the right sleeve with the flag facing backwards. Others, however, wear it on the left sleeve with the union forward. I think that this is simply because most flag patches are manufactured with the union on the left, which means that it faces backward when it's on the right sleeve. As you point out, the civilian "flag code" does not specify which side the patch should be on, or its orientation.

Regards,

Peter Ansoff

[Robin Hickman]

.
Hello, Capt. Jay !

Welcome to the USA-Flag-Site Forums !!!


At this time, there are a total of 29 "threads" in this forum, "US Flags on Uniforms and Clothing". It seems to me that about half of them (give or take a few...) touch upon this very subject.

What I've been able to "get" from the majority of the posts I've read in this forum is that the "U.S. Flag Code" (as such) does NOT say anything about this particular subject. Furthermore, the various "Armed Services" seem to all have different policies regarding this matter (Which means,I guess, that there is NO "uniform" policy about uniform Flag patches!). And, as near as I can tell, this NON-uniformity of Flag Patch policy seems to be deeply entrenched in the various veterans groups as well.

NO wonder there is so much confusion and discussion about all this!

The "good" thing is that people want to do "the right thing" and they come here wanting to find out HOW to do it. The "tough" part about this subject in these threads, is that very few people seem to go to have gone to the "trouble" of looking through the other threads FIRST to see if their questions or concerns were already addressed in some way.

The result is that the same, or similar, questions get asked over and over, and they end up being answered over and over.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had a nice, clear-cut, and succinct FAQ all about Flag Patches that covered the civilians, the veterans, the scouts, the different branches of the military, and (maybe) everybody else ???

I think I'll go back and make sure I've read all of these threads here, even if I have to re-read them.

SIGH . . . . .

Robin Hickman
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