The regulation states that the stars are to face forward. Its due to a militaryvexyllological convention that most people who havent been in the us armed. Great for bikers, veterans, military and all around patriots. Rothcos 3 x 2 us flag patch can be either sewn or ironed on and comes in both forward facing and reverse facing styles. Shop embroidered us flag patches, many sizes, small 3 inch, 4 inch or large 10 inch. This is why the american flag patch is reversed on. A portion of that regulation, known as wear and appearance of army uniforms and insignia, stipulates that the american flag be worn backwards on the right shoulder of a soldier. Think of the flag, not as a patch, but as a loose flag attached to the soldier s arm like a flag pole. When the american flag is to be displayed on any conveyance i.
But the soldier on the right is wearing a normal american flag patch. The story of a marine grunt in the first battle of khe sanh april 1967 duration. Army, authorized under regulation 6701 the wearing of a reversed american flag patch on utility and. Most of us are familiar with the image of the american flag in what is called a wall. If you are referring to the reverse flag patch, the only reason we wear it that way is back in the old days of the revolutionary and civil wars when the colors bearer ran into the battle field, all the. Put the flag on the right shoulder and keep in mind that the stars and blue should be going forward as if moving, and youve got yourself a backwards patch. For flag patches worn on uniforms, the same principle applies. Many combat veterans still wear the us flag in the reverse on hats, backpacks, and tshits, etc to let others know they are a combat vet and are proud of that fact. This is the proper configuration of the american flag. Just like with displaying the flag, there are rules of etiquette for the proper use of american flag patches. Lots of answers here but what follows is the correct answer.
Flag patch is within the scope of the heraldry and vexillology wikiproject, a collaborative effort to improve wikipedia s coverage of heraldry and vexillology. The meaning of a backwards flag tactical distributors. Respect for the flag in the military is implicit and absolute. Are backwards flag patches somehow reserved for wear on packs by military personnel. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observers right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.
Civilians often wonder why the us army flag patch is reversed. Updated january 2, 2019 upvoted by stephen costanzo, former e4 at u. In the early stages of my army enlistment, an old family friend gave me this reverse american flag patch pictured above from a uniform he wore in. Unfollow american flag patches to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in. If you want to understand how modern propagandists ply their trade, you need to understand that disinformation agents and their skewed. New american flags in the ocp color scheme are showing up in afghanistan.
That position has always been the right shoulder with the flag s blue stars facing forward. American flag mini patchminiature american flag uniform patch measures 1. The rule is that the blue field of stars should always be in the highest position of honor on the uniform. Army regulation 6701 states, the american flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that the star field faces forward, or to the flags own right. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. I dont know about you, but ive always wondered that. The stars appear on the right side of the flag, not the left. Shop our selection of embroidered iron on flag patches. Question about american flag on military uniforms the.
Its okay, im in the air force and i still think the. I get why the patch is backwards when worn on the right shoulder. Why is that on american soldiers and police, why is the. And thats why soldiers wear the flag patches on the right shoulder backward. The army actually has two authorized flag patches, one to be worn on the left shoulder, with the canton facing left, and another reverse field patch worn on the right, with the canton facing right. The us flag, or any flag i think, flown upside down is a universal sign of distress. Flag patches shop embroidered flag patches thecheapplace.
What does it mean when an americn flag patch is reversed. The flag of the united states of america has many rules and etiquette in how it should be displayed. Why the american flag is reversed on military uniforms. You may have noticed the american flag worn backwards on different military uniforms, but do you know why they do this. If youre an observant visitor, you might have noticed that the american flag on the side of the space shuttle discovery on display at our steven f.
Why does the american flag, as well as other flags, appear to be painted backwards on aircraft. The flag of the united states of america, often referred to as the american flag or u. Apply your american flag patch iron on or sew on to clothing. American flag patches shop us flag patches thecheapplace. On modern us army uniforms soldiers wear the us flag patch reversed, but why. The us flag and all it represents is something i was and will always be willing to fight for.
Think of the flag, not as a patch, but as a loose flag attached to the soldiers arm like a flag pole. Looking for the ideal american flag patches to express yourself. On an arm patch, you are looking at it differently, and when the soldier, or marine, or whatever, marches forward, the us flag most face forward. The one on the left is wearing a backward american flag patch. Why is the american flag patch on military uniforms backwards. The american flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that the star field faces forward, or to the flag s own right. While the boy scouts flag has the blue field of stars at the top left, the soldier. Why didnt they just have the american flag patch on the. Because retreat in battle, as any soldier will tell you. Both the reversed and the standard edition of us flags are fairly easy to come by the military uses the. According to united states army regulations, the fullcolor us flag cloth. This cottonpolyester american flag patch is perfect to attaching clothing and.
Maybe youve noticed the same thing on military uniforms and vehicles. Why is the us flag reversed when its on an arm patch of a us military. The american flag is a symbol of freedom and a certain set of values we hold. Why do soldiers wear a backwards american flag patch. Heres why the us flag sometimes appears backwards national. This embroidered army patch features a great design with awesome attention to detail. The flag is worn with the appearance of being backwards on soldiers right arm to symbolize early american armies which had a flag carrier holding our flag high which looks. Look down below at that picture of two brave soldiers. I have seen it on nfl and mlb teams and some police uniforms. In the olden days, a group of soldiers always had a flag bearer charging into battle with the rest of them. Why is the american flag backwards on the arms of military. The truth is that only those american flag patches worn on the right shoulder appear reversed.
Friends, the flag is not backward and the foundational rule for wearing the flag is not due to army or other military regulations. If you look at the right sleeve of a boy scout and of a u. Ocp flags showing up in afghanistan soldier systems daily. If you were to display a flag, properly on a wall, youd use one of this display with the blue field to the left. Fyi a unit patch on the left arm signifies the unit that soldier belongs to. The american flag patch represents the flag and when flags fly in motion, like a parade, the field of blue is always in the front and that is the only reason the right shoulder flag patch has the. Tactical patch display panel holder board for military army combat morale. It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red top and bottom. For anyone wondering about the meaning of a backwards flag, we talk about. I am just wondering why it was decided to not have it on the left. Why do us soldiers wear american flag reversed on shoulder. If you would like to participate, you can visit the. Why didnt they just have the american flag patch on the left shoulder.
When the flag bearer ran into battle, the flag faced backwards, as seen from the bearers. No, its not a very large literally and figuratively nasa snafu. In reality, its position hearkens back to the civil war, and the standard. Army regulation 6701, wear and appearance of army uniforms and insignia, updated most recently on february 3, 2005, addresses. The backwards flag is actually part of the us flag code, which applies to. The backwards flag is actually part of the us flag code, which applies to spacecraft, aircraft, and even service members uniform insignia. Today, the reverse flag is worn on the right sleeve of military uniforms and symbolizes the. Is the american flag backwards on the side of space shuttle discovery.
Flag patches embroidered flag patches you can sew or iron on to clothes. Military flags flag patches, world flag patches, ironon. We carry a wide variety of flags but one flag we carry many. Well, several years later, ive decided to search for the answer and as it turns out, theres a pretty good reason for it.
Why is the american flag reversed on military uniforms. This patch is great for an enlisted individual, retired veteran or even the. When authorized for application to the proper uniform the american flag patch is to be worn, right or left. Why is american flag backwards on soldiers uniform answers. Civilians often wonder why the american flag on military uniforms are worn backwards. This item military usa american reversed hook flag patch with gold border.
Every patch on a soldier s uniform has a history and a reason. Why are american flag patches on law enforcementmilitary. As the soldier moves forward, the red and white stripes will flow to the back. Why is the flag on a soldiers uniform in reverse youtube. Just as the us flag dips to no man or king, and you will see. Why do some people wear an american flag patch backwards. For the right shoulder, the flag only appears backward. This is the incredible reason why the flag is backwards on.