As you drive around town, you may see a small white flag, bordered in red, with either a blue or gold star in the middle and gold fringe on the bottom. They are usually hung from the window since they are smaller than normal flags. These are known as the Blue Star, War Mother’s, or Service Flag. These are hung to signify that this family has an immediate family member serving in the military.
If you do not know what these flags are, here’s a bit of their history. Back in 1917, Army Captain Robert Queissner wanted to make a simple flag that signified his two sons’ service in World War I. Only three days later, the American War Mothers organization formed and began displaying Captain Queissner’s flag in their windows. Sometimes the flags may have two or three stars (signifying two or three children serving in the military). Because so many military lives were lost in World War I, a new flag was developed. Mothers who had lost their sons in World War I began sewing a gold star over the blue star. The flag symbolized pride, love, and hope and became very popular during World War II. It returned to popularity during the Gulf War.
Before you start feeling patriotic and go out to buy a flag, know that there are regulations for displaying this flag. For instance, only members of the immediate family (wife, husband, mother, father, stepparent, children, brothers, and sisters) of an active duty service man or woman may fly this flag. The flag may be flown by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving in the military. They are supposed to only be hung in the window only during times of war or hostilities. The flag must be hung horizontally with one point of the star facing upwards. For all the rules and regulations regarding Blue Star Flags, please see this web page.
If you are interested in purchasing a Blue Star flag, the American Legion has a web page that offers them as well as bracelets, window decals, and pins to honor your military family member.