I am sure many of you, just like me wonder why the American flag on military fatigues are backwards on the right arm. After lots of searching the net, I found out that it dates back to when flags were carried into battle. When a flag is carried into battle and viewed from the right side, it is backwards (the stars are heading into battle). When a flag patch is on the left shoulder, it is displayed like we are use to seeing it. Basically picture a flag attached to a standard flag pole and a soldier running into battle carrying it. The stars of the American flag are “running into battle” first. So the standard military uniform keep this tradition so that the stars are always pointing to the front of the uniform. Per the official Army guidelines “the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.”Another note about the patches, they are trimmed in gold because the military American flag is portrayed with a golden fringes. Was instituted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959 and only to be used for the US Armed Forces… though is commonly disobeyed by our courts in the US where you can find many courts donning the gold fringed US Flag (and are only permitted during courts-martial).

-SJ

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