Uniform Flags

[fireman48430]

Our fire chief insists we wear the American Flag with the stars facing the rear. Being former military, I was taught the stars lead you into battle (face forward). Some departments weare their flags facing forward, some backwards. Which is correct?
Thanks,
Fireman48430

[Chris Grogan]

I believe you are correct! You're not dealing with the only backward opinion check out my post, Fire Department Backward Flag!

[Peter Ansoff]

fireman48430: Our fire chief insists we wear the American Flag with the stars facing the rear. Being former military, I was taught the stars lead you into battle (face forward). Some departments weare their flags facing forward, some backwards. Which is correct?

Hi. See my 4 March 2007 post in the "American Flag Etiquette" section in the "American Flag Shoulder Patch" thread. The bottom line is that the union should face forward.

Regards,

Peter Ansoff

[cfry191]

I work for a fire dept. and was approached by a fellow who stated that a flag displayed on the right shoulder with the stars facing forward was reserved for military use only and only on foreign soil. he stated he was very offended and asked that we fix this show of disrespect. Can anyone tell me if there is any truth to this? Thank you

[Peter Ansoff]

Greetings, cfry191!

a fellow who stated that a flag displayed on the right shoulder with the stars facing forward was reserved for military use only and only on foreign soil. . . . Can anyone tell me if there is any truth to this?

Well, we can start with a couple of facts:

1. Current US Army regulations say that flag patches will be worn on the right sleeve, with the union facing forward. This applies to all Army personnel in working uniform, whether deployed or not. The other armed services wear the patches on the left sleeve. These regulations apply only to the armed services, of course.

2. The civilian flag code mentions flag patches, but does not specify either their orientation, or which sleeve they should be worn on. Individual civilian organizations (police forces, scout groups, sports teams, etc.) can set their own standards. The code does say that the union should be on the viewer's left when the flag is hung flat against a wall, but that is a completely different case.

So -- I would say that your friend is wrong. Display on the right shoulder is not "reserved" for the military -- in fact, the Army is the only one of the services that displays it that way. In practice, most civilians seem to put the union on the viewer's left (which would be to the rear on the right sleeve). However, I suspect that that's just because most flag patches are manufactured with the union on the left. Again, the flag code does not specify one way or the other.

Best,

Peter Ansoff