[Briyin]

Hey SSG Samora,

I talked to a Defense Attache from an embassy and he said the US flag is usually on the right when displayed in foreign countries (whether it be on a flagpole that you're looking at from the front as facing the building or on paper...certificates in your case). Because we are guests in that foreign country, it comes across as too imperialist, basically, to put ourselves in that place (the left) reserved as the place of honor...in these cases, we are deferring out of respect to that host country and giving them that spot.

All the best in Iraq...hope this helps.

Rangers Lead the Way! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

[Briyin]

I wish I'd seen the other posts before responding to your post...because what I didn't ask him was "What about on 'US' soil?" like at an embassy? The responders all make good sense...like if the cert is being given to a US or foreign national...I'm keen to read Peter's response to clear this up.

[SSG Samora]

I have looked up pictures of all the emabassies and it is considered US soil and the US flag is in the position on honor. I also looked up pictures of the G8 conventions to see how they were flown in various countries. I am still waiting for a great way to look this up so I can show the general exactly what is right. Wanna have your ducks in a row when you do that lol. Thanks everyone.
SSG Samora

[Peter Ansoff]

Hello, all. Sorry to keep all my fans waiting! (-;.

First of all, welcome to the forum, SSG! We hope that you and your mates are safe and sound. Please tell them all that we are proud and grateful for what you are doing for us.

Actually, this question has a couple of "layers." In general, international usage is that the flag of the host nation takes precedence, and is positioned to its own right of other national flags when they are displayed together. This is reflected in the US flag code, and also in the Canadian rules of flag etiquette. I don't know if Iraq has its own formal equivalent of the flag code, but if it does I'd assume that it would follow the same rule. US State Department regulations (Foreign Affairs Manual, Vol. 2) reflect this usage:

"On U.S. Government premises, the U.S. flag is accorded the position of honor by being placed on the right of a group of sovereign flags. However, in a display not on U.S. Government premises, the flag of the host country may be accorded the honor position among a group of flags of sovereign nations."

As SSG Samora points out, Army regulations do not provide any additional guidance. AR 840-10 just says:

"The flag of the United States should be displayed with foreign national flags at overseas installations according to applicable international agreements."

In general, the rule seems to be that the host flag goes in the position of honor if the display is not on US premises. If it *is* on US premises, the US flag goes in the honor position. I've attached a photo showing flags being set up for a ceremony at the US Airforce Base at Ramstein, Germany. As you can see, the US flag is first in the order of precedence, followed by the German flag, the US Airforce flag, and the Wing flag.

The Navy's NTP 13(B) has a specific provision dealing with the display of multiple national flags:

"When displayed with foreign national ensigns, the U.S. national ensign shall be displayed to the extreme right . . . The national ensign[s] of other nations shall be displayed right to left after the U.S. national ensign, beginning in alphabetical order of the names of such nations in the english language except that . . . When the U.S Naval activity is located in a foreign country, the national ensign of that country is displayed to the immediate left of the U.S. national ensign without regard to it's alphabetical listing." [emphasis added] Navy and Marine Corps regs also have a similar provision for the display of multiple national flags on US Navy ships. In other words, the host nation's goes second in the order of precedence when on US premises.

The bottom line seems to be that the rule depends on the context. If the display is on a US base, or in a US embassy or consulate, the US flag goes in the honor position, and the host flag goes second before any other national flags. In any other case, the host flag goes in the honor position. With respect to things like printed certificates, it's really a judgement call. If the certificate is for an internal US award, I'd put the US flag in the honor slot. If it involves Iraqi personnel or authorities, or if there were any possibility that the Iraqi side might be sensitive to the issue, I'd give the honor position to the Iraqi flag. As with so many aspects of flag etiquette, there are no magic answers -- one has to make a judgement about what makes sense.

All that's pretty long-winded, but I hope it addresses the issue. Again, welcome to the forum, and best regards to everyone over there.

Peter Ansoff