Military flags have a long and honorable history. They were traditionally used by the army and navy to distinguish friendly troops from enemy forces, and the emblem of each service was attached to long poles or hoisted up on the mast of the ship. Over the centuries, they have proliferated and today the emblems of every wing, section or sub-section of the military are displayed. Easily recognised when seen from a distance, these symbols are the modern counterparts of those older pieces of cloth.
Recognition of the enemy fulfilled one important function of flying military flags. Of equal importance, though, was the flag's assertion of a nation's pride and military might. Today, it is no different. From the organisational flags of TO & E (Table of Organisation and Equipment) battalions right down to the swallow-tailed guidons in branch-of-service colors displayed in army garrisons, schools and depots, they promote a feeling of national unity and patriotic pride. Veterans' flags proudly displayed in custom-made cases, provide a similar unifying function, linking veterans in their own homes to our national memorials in Washington DC.
One very important aspect of military flags is the strict protocol precedence which must be followed. The order of precedence when displaying them together is as follows: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. However, there are circumstances, notably when a particular department is involved in military operations, when the order might change. Coast Guard, for example, moves up behind Navy when the Coast Guard is at the service of the Department of the Navy in time of war.
Having just stressed the strict protocol relating to precedence and etiquette, it has to be said that the protocol is not always adhered to. Some confusion seems to reign at the US Air Force Academy about the admissibility of flying a POW/MIA flag alongside a state flag, perhaps because the Act governing the display of the POW/MIA flag applied to government facilities only. Not all of these institutions fly a state flag.
Similarly, there seems to be a blind eye turned to the custom of flying the corps of Engineers' flag over the HQ of the Post Engineer on Army installations, and another violation of Army regulations is tolerated when today's American soldiers take their flags into battle. This constitutes an infringement of military flag rules as the Army Flag and Organisational Flags are not used in the field on grounds of cost and inappropriate use. Guidons, however, can travel with the troops.
A certain latitude in the interpretation of the rules in these two cases might be explained by their exceptionalism. The engineering divisions of the military have separate flags and are authorised to hoist them on military-operated vessels. Although no flag other than the US National Flag may be flown over Army installations in the continental United States, the flying of the Corps of Engineers' flag over Army installations represents the flag equivalent of mission creep! Similarly, the Corps of Engineers' flag and various unofficial unit flags, were flown over base camps and assembly areas during the Gulf War. In exceptional circumstances, traditions die hard: as they have since 1775, today's American soldiers take their military flags into battle.
The protocol is strictly adhered to, though, in respect of dimensions and colors. All regiments, battalions of regiments and separate battalions are authorised a “stand of colors” i.e. The National Color and their organisational color. Most Army flags and colors measure 3' at the hoist by 4' on the fly with a 2.5” fringe. The, understandable, exception is the Organisational Color of the US Corps of Cadets whose dimensions are larger: 4'4” at the hoist by 5'6” on the fly with 2.5” yellow fringe. Organisational Colors are always displayed with the National Color echoing the British practice of providing each regiment with a Queen's Colour and a Regimental Colour. US protocol emulates the meticulous British attitude to military procedure.
Finally, while certain breaches of military protocol are often tolerated within the military itself, no such leniency is shown to civilians who misuse military flags in public displays. Non-official use is viewed as disrespectful to the armed services, and violations of this code of conduct are punishable under state and national law. Violating these symbols of our nation violates that tradition and honor which we all so admire: a military flag is much more than a piece of cloth.
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