Army Uniform Rule Requires Flag For All

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

By Lisa Burgess

Stars and Stripes Writer

European Edition

"It saves wear and tear on the uniform. Instead of having people tear the patch off when they get home [from a deployment], and then having to put it back on again, we're all going to wear it," Army spokesman Wayne Morse said.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- S&S
Every soldier in the Army, not just those deployed, must now wear the U.S. flag insignia on his or her utility uniform, according to a new Army rule.

By tradition, soldiers don't sew the flag on the shoulder of their right uniform until they are deployed. As soon as they are back at their home station, the flag must come off.

But on Feb. 11, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker authorized the universal adoption of the insignia as a reminder to all soldiers that the Army is at war, according to Army spokesman Wayne Morse.

"We're more of an expeditionary force now," Morse said in a Friday telephone interview. "We're at war, and we will be for the foreseeable future."

(More: Military.com / Military Headlines)

Dan