Tradition and Honor - Military Flags
Barb Anderson

Defined Tag: Military Flags.

Military Flags are symbolic representations of a department of the defense forces, or can define a situation or circumstance relating to current status of the military under operation, and are usually displayed by hoisting on a flag post. Military flags are not restricted to the four wings of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force) but also represent classifications under each force, such as the rank of officers, parades, battalions which include brigades, groups, corps, divisions, commands, field armies, and agencies (called organizational flags) and different regiments.

The engineering divisions of the military have separate flags and are authorized to hoist them on military-operated vessels. The list simply does not end here, as a matter of fact; a military flag that distinguishes it from the rest represents almost every department and sub-sections. Military flags of each department are usually seen as characteristic of that class and bear a protocol precedence or priority in the military scheme of things.

The history of military flags dates back centuries, when the army and navy displayed their characteristic emblem on cloth pieces, tied on long poles or on the mast of the ship, in order to distinguish friendly troops from enemies. This could be one of the reasons, but it could also be a show of the country’s pride, heritage and might. Down the years, every department of the military, to the officers and the technical class of the army - everyone had been assigned an emblem and a corresponding flag displaying the respective emblem, as a symbol of recognition when seen from a distance. Now almost every wing, section or sub-section of the military has its own distinctive flag.

An important aspect regarding military flags, which has been mentioned earlier, is the precedence of military flags over the other, its order of superiority with respect to the other, and its relative positioning when displayed alongside the National and State flags. If flags - two or three - happen to come in one pole, then there also exists a protocol about which one should be placed above of the other. The order of preference or precedence will be different for different countries, according to the flags used and the departments symbolized. But in general - for almost every country - the national, state and presidential flag leads in priority, when compared with any other flag.

The military protocol regarding the display of flags also specifies the dimensions of each flag that need to be adhered to and the way of hoisting it. It is considered offensive and illegal to breach such codes pertaining to the shape and color of military flags, and any such act is dealt with strict and prompt disciplinary actions.

Military flags are strictly used by the military and any public display of such flags is offensive as per the law. Any use of military flags for non-official purposes is viewed as disrespectful to the institution and is punishable under the military code of conduct. A common man has no right to make, duplicate or hoist military flags and such a violation is punishable under the state and national law.

Barb Anderson has edited or written numerous articles for family-oriented ezines and sites on the worldwide web. Barb is Editor of the Power Learning Tips and Tricks newsletter, which is available at:   http://MastermindLearningSystem.com.