We received e-mail recently from a reader asking why the flag on the right sleeve of the Boy Scout uniform shirt differs from the one worn by the U.S. military. Here’s an excerpt:
This has been bothering me for the longest time. The American flag is on the Scout uniform backwards, and I would like to know why we are the only organization around that has it backwards.
This shows a sign of retreat. Are the Boy Scouts of America in retreat? Have you ever seen an American flag fly backwards?
Thanks for the question. In search of an answer, we went to the source: the Boy Scout Handbook. Page 76 of the handbook directly addresses this question. “Following the guidelines of the U.S. Flag Code,” it reads, “[the flag patch] is placed with the blue field to the flag’s own right (to the left, as someone views it).”
The handbook goes on mention the difference in how the U.S. military wears the flag. On military uniforms, the flag faces the opposite direction on the right sleeve. It’s called the reverse-field flag. That’s because, according to Department of the Army regulations, “…it is proper to reverse the design so that the union is at the observer’s right to suggest that the flag is flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward.”
So on military and some police or fire uniforms, you’ll see the flag facing one way, while on the BSA uniform and in other uses—such as special-edition hats in Major League Baseball—it faces the other way.
Which is right? Both, as long as you’re in line with the regulations or code of the organization responsible for the uniform in question. And the BSA makes it easy for you. The American flag is pre-sewn on all uniform shirts, meaning you’ll always be right—or left.
Have a question about the uniform or anything else related to Scouting? Send us an e-mail, and we’ll try to find the answer.
“such as special-edition hats in Major League Baseball”
Which are in violation of the US Flag Code.
“The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations.”
Thanks for the comment, Dan.
It’s likely that some people would consider Major League Baseball, an American tradition since the 19th century, to be a patriotic organization.
I have to disagree. While ‘patriotic organizations’ is ill-defined, your argument essentially reduces it to ‘organization you are a fan of that occasionally has patriotic/military recognitions’. Baseball has the same argument for being a patriotic organization as any other sporting event.
So as a scout leader is it against BSA regulations if I correct this flag mistake? Sorry, but this IS in correct. Either put it on the left or an advancing flag on the right. Maybe even the front.
According to the BSA insignia guide, because the incorrect flag came with the uniform, you are not allowed to modify it. So it is against BSA policy to correctly wear the reverse-field US flag.
Guys, if the BSA Handbook says it, that’s good enough for me. The BSA isn’t the military, and as I said in the post above, there’s no “one way” to wear the flag. The only “right way” is the way your organization specifies.
“To wear our country’s flag properly, the field of stars is worn closest to your heart. Further, when worn on the sleeve of a military uniform, the flag should appear to be advancing and not retreating.”
“Since the Flag Rules do not specifically address the positioning of the patch, a decision is left to the discretion of the organization prescribing the wear. Some elect to use the “left” flag on both sleeves.”
There is technically nothing incorrect with how the BSA requires the flag to be worn, although having the reverse-field flag seems to me to be most respectful. I think the best case scenario is that the left-flag is moved to the left sleeve. Then we wouldn’t be having this argument and everyone would be happy.
I hear you.
Perhaps moving to the left sleeve would be a good solution, but it concerns me that in an instant, millions of Scouts would have the “incorrect” insignia. I’d hate to force Mom or Dad to buy or re-sew a patch if they don’t have to.
The BSA has already done something similar to that when they changed the Boy Scout uniform. Now there’s a mix of red and green epaulettes, as well as four or five different styles of uniform shirts. So it’s not like everyone is looking the same right now. Granted, changing the patch layout would be a much bigger change, but after ten years or so of mismatch with having new uniforms with a different layout, most uniforms would be similar again.
The military wears their flag with stars in front as they are going into battle and ready to face the problems in front of them. i.e. go back to the old cavalry days when the color-guard rode in, the stars are in front as they are riding into the wind.
As for the star field in the back. The star field in the doesn’t mean retreat. The star field in that back means that the wearer’s problems have been conquered and they leave their problems behind them.
you are all wrong… The uniforms of the soldiers sent to Iraq are decorated with a reversed American flag. On the one hand this is completely in accord with military protocol, even if being a complete exception to the usual flag code. It appears only on the right arm, and represents the US flag when carried and moving forwards, with the stripes therefore waving backwards behind the pole. On the other hand it conveniently falls in the category of reverse symbolism. Reversed pentagram, cross, dove, etc… which stand for the Satanic principle. Reversals & inversions are elemental symbols in the Luciferian language of the Illuminati.
The antithesis of Peace is War.
The antithesis of Good is Evil.
The anithesis of Love is Hate.
The antithesis of Christ is Anti-Christ.
-Do a google “image” search on US uniforms and insignia. You will see that in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and even the first Gulf War that there was NO REVERSE FLAG PATCH…….ever! When did this change occur? In 2003. After the “War on Terror” was firmly underway.
What have you been smoking? The flag always flies with its field forward.
I was in the military prior to Sept. 11, and we wore a reverse flag on our right shoulder
Small nitpick – “In search of an answer, we went to the source” – the source should really be the US Flag code, not a BSA handbook. Especially since the handbook just cites the Flag code. And not everyone in the BSA uses the Boy Scout Handbook.
And a question – You cited the Boy Scout Handbook in your answer. Is that information found in the other BSA handbooks? Which BSA publications explain details about the flag on the uniform and
“Which BSA publications explain details about the flag on the uniform and” … uniform policy in general?
It’s kind of odd that a three year old article showed up on the RSS feed yesterday. I had thought it was a new post with active comments for a while….
That is strange. I wonder if it’s because I updated the featured photo at the top of the post.
-Bryan