Flag placement on mid 80s uniform

[Rockford8070 10]

I was looking through some old pictures of me as a Cub and noticed the flag was over one of the pockets instead of the sleeve. The whole den was like that. This would have been about 1987 or so. Were we just wrong? Or did that happen elsewhere too?

[Eagle92 110]

Rock,

Prior to the US Flag automatically coming sewn on the uniform, it had to be purchased separately and sewn on by the owner, or owner's mother.

 

Cub Scouts, including those who opted to wear the Boy Scout uniform as Webelos starting in August 1984, had to sew on the flag above the Boy Scouts of America strip above the right pocket. I think it was 1990 or so that the flags automaticaly came with the uniforms. Then it was standardized to one location.

 

As for CS leaders, I think they also wore it above the pocket, but don't quote me on that.

[camilam42 10]

I've gone back and pulled some pictures of when I was a Cub Scout. Our flags were worn over our right pocket above the BSA strip. This was a consistent placement, because one of the pictures was of the winners of the Pinewood Derby and myself, which had me with my trophy. Another picture was of my den a year later. Flag in in the same place. This was 1983-1984. I was a Wolf in 1983 and a Bear in '84.

 

I've also googled 1980s Cub Scout uniform and it seems that this is a consistent placement.

 

Just an FYI....

[WAKWIB 107]

A friend pointed out to me the other day that the flag on the current BSA uniform is backwards. The proper way, according to him, should be with the blue field facing forward such as you would see on the Army uniforms.

I don't know if the way we wear it is a gigantic infraction of flag protocal.

Even if it was, I imagine National Supply has up-teen million of those flag patches and would not be likely to change it in the near future

[clemlaw 55]

Apparently, the Army has a regulation which specifies that the blue field is oriented toward the front of the shirt. Thus, on the right sleeve, the flag should be "backwards".

 

http://www.usflag.org/flagpatch.html

 

The Flag Code states merely that "a flag patch may be affixed to the unfiorm of ... members of patriotic organizations", and makes no reference to where or in what orientation.

 

The Army regulation does not apply, because Boy Scouts are not part of the Army.(This message has been edited by clemlaw)

[emb021 16]

"A friend pointed out to me the other day that the flag on the current BSA uniform is backwards. The proper way, according to him, should be with the blue field facing forward such as you would see on the Army uniforms."

 

Your friend is wrong. The flag on the BSA uniform is not backwards. Flag patches should show the blue field in the upper left, per US Flag protocol.

 

The Army decided more recently to have flag patches oriented such that the blue field is in the upper right for wearing on the right sleeve. This is their choice.

 

 

"I don't know if the way we wear it is a gigantic infraction of flag protocal."

 

If you (or your friend) had bothered to check flag protocol, you would have learned that what the BSA is doing is NOT incorrect. This is a common misconception that pops up about every 6 months or so, because people see what the Army does, and just assumes that THEY are doing it correctly, and any who doesn't is doing it wrong.

 

 

[clemlaw 55]

I could be mistaken, but I don't think the U.S. Flag Code says one way or another.

 

The Flag Code does specify where the Union should be when a _flag_ is displayed on a wall, in a window, or hanging over a street.

 

It does not specify the orientation of a flag patch, and a shirt is neither a wall, a window, nor a street.

[Eagle92 110]

Just remember, BSA has been wearing the flag as is form the 1970s onwards if memory serves. Lots of other organizations have it the way we do as well.

 

 

US Army has only recently did that, and the rational all is that is how the flag would be diplayed rushing into combat.

[SSScout 1616]

IMTHO, I agree that the US flag or it's representation (there's another discussion. Is a picture or patch REALLY a "flag"?) should be displayed with the blue union on the flag's own right. The viewers left, as the flag is observed. Wall, fence, porch, sleeve, long side vertical or horizontal, all the same I think. Blue Union on flag's right.

[Stosh 3452]

I would love to see a picture of the US flag with the wind blowing from right to left, thus leaving the flag reversed on the staff.

 

The only time I see it displayed this way, and forgive me if my physics test is confusing, but if a ship with sails is depicted moving from left to right, it means the wind is blowing in that direction, why then does the flag stream towards the back of the ship? Artistic liberty?

 

Also, in terms of US flag code, the military has adopted the policy of the flag "streaming" to the back. It's a non-traditional depiction of a free-flying flag sewn to a non-free-flying background. And since when has anything the government decided have to make sense?

 

Stosh

[John-in-KC 311]

http://www.usarmystyle.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=26_28

 

http://www.uniforms-4u.com/Productimages/5290/big-u-customizable-us-army-acu-uniform-6209.jpg

 

 

[John-in-KC 311]

When General Peter Schoomaker was Chief of Staff, he mandated the Army was an expeditionary Army. The Color lives on the right shoulder, always, when he wears Army Combat Uniforms.

 

He mandated that the Flag patch put the canton on the observers right (its own left), representing the flag moving with the Trooper ...

 

[Woapalanne 11]

" if a ship with sails is depicted moving from left to right, it means the wind is blowing in that direction, why then does the flag stream towards the back of the ship? Artistic liberty? "

 

Nope. It does not mean the wind is blowing in that direction. Sailing vessels can move many directions other than the direction the wind is blowing. The only direction they can't do is directly into the wind. But I have often sailed my boat within 10 or 15 degrees of the wind, which to an observer at the side would look like I'm going into the wind.

 

Also, the flag could be streaming back simply because the ship is moving faster than the wind.