Planet Merrill and the flag

[Pottapaug1938]

More idiocy about the gold fringe on some flags and on flag emblems on uniforms, with a particularly Merrillian flavor:

http://savingtosuitorsclub.net/showthre ... s-Are-They

My favorite is allodial's assertion:

"It might be at the least worth noting that the USA-lookalike-flag heraldrically puts 7 stripes (states) in a superior position to the 50 States and in turn 50 States in a superior position to 6 stripes. Coincidentally there were seven original Confederate States (four of which were of the Original Twelve or Thirteen--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi)."

Talk about finding what just ain't there....

[fortinbras]

I bothered to check, absolutely no legal authority about requiring the stars on the left of shoulder patches. There was a time when it was simply common, when only a few companies were producing the embroidered patches, that the stars be on the left. But in recent years the notion seems to be to imagine that the soldier (or whoever) is carrying a flag pole so that the stars would, on each side, be nearer his face and the stripes follow. I couldn't even find a court decision about such things although I remember reading about a prison guard who shared DiM's notion about the stars always being on the left, who refused to sew on the other kind of patch on his right sleeve, and thereby lost his job.

And the odd thing is that so many of the people who have such fastidious notions about what constitutes respect for the flag seem to have very different ideas when it comes to respect for .... well, other things.

[rogfulton]

I bothered to check, absolutely no legal authority about requiring the stars on the left of shoulder patches. There was a time when it was simply common, when only a few companies were producing the embroidered patches, that the stars be on the left. But in recent years the notion seems to be to imagine that the soldier (or whoever) is carrying a flag pole so that the stars would, on each side, be nearer his face and the stripes follow.

When I was deployed for Desert Storm, several of the soldiers in my unit questioned the flag patches. We were told something similar to the flag pole notion, in that we would always be moving forward causing the stripes to trail behind. I don't remember if any of the other nations treated their flag patches similarly (it was, after all, more than 20 years ago).

[notorial dissent]

There is certainly nothing in Title 4 about it, so like fringe, it has no legal significance. Custom may dictate otherwise, but that would be all it would be, and I've never heard it come up before.

[JamesVincent]

I bothered to check, absolutely no legal authority about requiring the stars on the left of shoulder patches. There was a time when it was simply common, when only a few companies were producing the embroidered patches, that the stars be on the left. But in recent years the notion seems to be to imagine that the soldier (or whoever) is carrying a flag pole so that the stars would, on each side, be nearer his face and the stripes follow.

When I was deployed for Desert Storm, several of the soldiers in my unit questioned the flag patches. We were told something similar to the flag pole notion, in that we would always be moving forward causing the stripes to trail behind. I don't remember if any of the other nations treated their flag patches similarly (it was, after all, more than 20 years ago).

Same here. Stars lead the charge is what I was told. Don't remember anything in the care of a flag about the stars pointing any particular direction, only the significance of the flag upside down.

[The Dog]

I have found this guidance for flying the Union Flag, which specifically refers to
flag shoulder patches.

On Uniforms
When flag shoulder patches are worn on uniforms the flag on the left shoulder
or sleeve should show the obverse of the flag (ie. the flagpole at the
wearer’s front). If there is a patch on the right shoulder or sleeve it should
show the reverse of the flag (ie. still with the flagpole at the wearer’s front).
If more than one flag is to be worn, the Union Flag should be at the top.

http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flyin ... ingdom.pdf
(p. 7)

I remember at the time of the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, there was much fun to be had pointing out to various people that they were flying the Union Flag upside down. For whatever reason, it happens a lot less now.