Backward Flag

[rea1180]

This may have already been mentioned somewhere, but are all the 25th ann. Duke's flags backwards?

[Super Sport]

This may have already been mentioned somewhere, but are all the 25th ann. Duke's flags backwards?

It represents an actual American flag as if carried into battle, flowing in the wind behind the soldiers as they advance.

[Shogi]

Stars forward and all that

[skullheadman]

It's exactly how we actually wear them in the Army. Of course, back when Duke originally joined the Joe team, US soldiers didn't wear flags on their uniforms, so I guess Duke is a military fashion innovator!

[Zombie F-Body]

Yup, don't know how many times I had to explain that to my squad. We were switching over to the everyone wears a flag thing right when I was getting out. Never wore mine because my ETS was before the mandatory all-on date, but the younger soldiers jumped right on it. Thinking of adding it to my BDUs below my 5th Army for the Grandkids to ogle over.
I was glad to see that level of attention to detail. Didn't the V1 Duke have the flag the other way and instructions to apply the decal to the other shoulder?

[Dakemesh]

You'll see on some of the older Joe aircraft too, some have a "backwards" flag sticker to go on the one side of the plane, and some just have two "forward" flags which is incorrect.

[Syna3sthesia]

You learn something new everyday.

[Taichiro]

Stars Forward, always.

otherwise the person/thing is retreating, and the US doesn't retreat.

[therobidentity]

I was also very glad to see that level of detail on the figure. =)

[THE FAN]

Flag Patches on Army Uniforms



Many sharp-eyed civilians have noted an apparent oddity on the uniform sleeves of American military men: backward flag patches. Why is Old Glory flipped around like that?

Only the flag patches affixed to right shoulders of uniforms are reversed, so the blue field of stars faces forward. (Left shoulder patches aren't a problem, as the stars face forward without meddling.) The reversal was inspired by the age-old practice of carrying flags into battle. When fastened to a standard, the American flag's blue-and-white portion is always closest to the pole. A flag bearer rushing into the fray, then, would naturally lead with the stars. In fact, it would be virtually impossible to lead with the stripes-the flag would simply wilt and wrap around the pole, rather than waving triumphantly in the wind.

For a service man or women to lead with shoulder-borne stripes, then, might smack of cowardice and retreat, as if the toter were backpedaling away from the conflict. The official Army guidelines on the donning of flag patches add that the forward-facing stars give "the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward." So perhaps it's best to think of every militry person as a latter-day flag bearer, leading the headlong charge into battle.
AMERICANFLAGS.ORG


Know your tradition. Study it, know it and take PRIDE in IT for someone wants to take it away. Don aka PROUD AMEIRCAN!!!