There are a lot of flags in the United States. There are state government flags, military flags, and tons of different historical flags that people love to fly. However, figuring out what each of these flags means can be a bit overwhelming. In this post, we’ll look at three common military flags you should know about.
The POW/MIA Flag
Probably the most common military flag you’ll see is the POW/MIA flag. It’s a black flag with a black-and-white picture of a person in prison. The flag represents the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Mary Hoff created the flag during the Vietnam War to represent the country’s concern for American soldiers who had been captured or gone missing in action. Today, many official government agencies fly this flag as a sign of support.
Service Flags
Service flags are those that represent the different branches of the US military. The six branches include:
- Army
- Marine Corps
- Air Force
- Navy
- Coast Guard
- Space Force (added 2019)
It’s pretty common for people to show their support of family members in the military by displaying their branch’s flag. However, you don’t have to have a personal connection to fly a military flag. You can show your support or your interest in joining the military by displaying the flag of your favorite branch at any time.
Unit Flags
Some military units are quite famous on their own, and people will sometimes fly those flags as well. If you have a family member who’s a member of units like the Blue Angels or the Seabees, you can display the unit flag to show support. However, you can always fly a military flag even if you don’t know anyone in that unit.
The United States has a lot of different flags to keep track of, but these are the three most common military flags you should know about. You can find all these flags at Liberty Flags, where you can even buy a wall mount flagpole to fly them. Just remember to make sure your new flag won’t touch anything when it hangs!
