UNITED STATES FLAG PATCH

The regulations regarding the wear of U.S. flag patches varies between the different branches of the Armed Forces of the United States. In the United States Air Force, for instance, U.S. flag insignias are authorized for wear only on the left sleeve of the Flight Duty Uniform or the Desert Flight Duty uniforms. What’s more, the Air Force prohibits subdued flag insignia, reasoning that Chapter 1, Title 4 of the United States Code specifies the flag colors as red, white, and blue.

The United States Navy, on the other hand, does permit subdued flag insignia—but only for “reverse flag” patches worn on the right upper-arm pocket flap of the NWU Type II/III uniforms. They are dubbed “reverse” because the canton, or star field, is to the viewer’s right when looking head-on at the insignia, whereas the U.S. flag is supposed to be displayed with that field to the viewer’s left. For its Flight Suits, the Navy authorizes a standard U.S. flag patch, with the canton to the viewer’s left, to be worn on the left shoulder arch, centered and about an inch below the shoulder seam.

Neither the United States Marine Corps nor the United States Coast Guard authorize the wear of a U.S. flag insignia on uniforms.