Post 41 rekindled the program of issuing Blue Star Service Banners to local families who had members serving in our Armed Forces. Since 2006, we have issued almost one hundred banners to families in our area.
The Blue Star Service Banner is an official banner authorized by the Department of Defense for display by families who have members serving in the Armed Forces during any period of war or hostilities the United States may be engaged in for the duration of such hostilities. It may also be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war or hostilities.
The Department of Defense specifies that family members authorized to display the flag include the wife, husband, mother, father, stepfather, parent through adoption, foster parents who stand or stood in loco parentis, children, stepchildren, children through adoption, brothers, sisters, half brothers and half sisters of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. The flag should be displayed in a window of the residence of person who are members of the immediate family.
Today, families display these banners when they have a loved one serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The blue star represents one family member serving, and a banner can have up to five stars. If the individual is killed or dies while in service, a smaller golden star is placed over it. Gold stars are placed above the blue stars or to the top right of the flag, in the event a flag represents multiple service members.
While Blue Star Service Banners were widely used during both world wars, they were not embraced during the Korean or Vietnam wars with the same enthusiasm. The American Legion rekindled that spirit of pride in our military men and women following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by providing banners to military families across the nation.
