Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution IK development site for ODI
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Museum Maps
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Stories
    • Podcasts
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

Man-in-Service Flag

American History Museum

Man-In-Service Flag
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Object Details

Description

Physical Description
Cotton bunting. Blue star in the center of white field; red border.
General History
The Man-in-Service Flag was used in both World War I and World War II. It is also known as the Blue Star Flag. Each family was entitled to hang a small Man-in-Service Flag in a window to signify they had a family member in service. The flag was about a foot long and was hung vertically. The blue star was covered with a gold (actually yellow) star if the family member died in action.

Location

Currently not on view

ID Number

1979.0445.42

catalog number

1979.0445.42

accession number

1979.0445

Object Name

flag

Physical Description

cotton (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 17 1/2 in x 11 1/4 in; 44.45 cm x 28.575 cm

used in

United States

See more items in

Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
Military
ThinkFinity

Data Source

National Museum of American History

Subject

Flags

related event

World War I
World War II
The Emergence of Modern America
The Great Depression and World War II

Metadata Usage

CC0

Link to Original Record

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-0378-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID

nmah_686498

Discover More

Curtiss JN-4D Jenny

World War I Collections Sampler

arrow-up Back to top
Home
  • Facebook facebook
  • Instagram instagram
  • LinkedIn linkedin
  • YouTube youtube

  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Shop Online
  • Job Opportunities
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use