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Moving Forward




I think I have mentioned before that one of my sons, Nick is a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and is based at Fort Benning, Georgia.  Nick, his job and his training have become the source of many conversations with our friends. Not too long ago I was having coffee with a dear friend, Michele and a uniformed soldier came into the coffee shop.  I was drawn to her uniform as I am trying to learn what the uniform represents.  I noticed immediately that based on the rank posted on the center of her uniform that she is a Private.  I knew to look on her shoulder to try to understand what unit she worked in but when my friend asked why the American flag on her shoulder looked backward I knew immediately that I had forgotten why.

Needless to say, I called Nick and he later explained what he had explained before.  Flags worn on the right shoulder of a uniform do appear “reversed” but it is actually the proper location.  When the flag is posted on a “moving object” like a person or vehicle the stripes appear first before the stars so that the flag appears to be “blowing” in the wind.  If the stars were viewed first, the vehicle might be viewed as moving backward.  Nick also explained that no person or vehicle ever wants to be considered retreating. 

I later learned that the flag on a uniform should be viewed not only as a patch but instead as a flag blowing in the wind as the wearer moves forward. I too am trying to move forward in my understanding of the Army uniform and the requirements it takes to be an Army Mom.  I certainly know already what it means to be a very proud Mom.



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