Allow Grandparents and Stepmothers to Display the Blue Star Service Flag

The Blue Star Flag, also known as the Service Flag or War Service Flag, is a tradition dating back to 1917. Army Captain Robert L. Queissner, of the 5th Ohio Infantry, created the flag to honor his two sons, who were serving on the front lines in World War I. It consisted of a white background with a red border, and had a blue star on it for each family member that was serving in the Armed Forces. In the event that a family member died in service, a gold star was sewn over the blue star. The flag quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in service. Congress authorized the flag on October 17, 1943, and the Secretary of War approved the official design in February 1943. On July 31, 1968, the Pentagon issued regulations governing the design, use, display and purchase of Service flags and pins.

DoD regulations currently state that family members authorized to display the Service flag include wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, stepfathers, parents 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 members of the Armed Forces of the United States. Regulations also state that the service flag may be displayed in a window of the place of residence of persons who are members of the immediate family of Service members serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States may be engaged for the duration of such period of war or hostilities. The Service flag may be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities. The banners for organizations are also made in proportion to DOD specifications with blue stars placed on the white field to represent those members of the organization that are serving during the war or hostilities.

Under the current regulations, while adoptive parents, stepfathers and some foster parents, and even businesses and other organizations who have employees or organization members in the Armed Forces of the United States, are authorized to display the Service flag, grandparents and stepmothers are not. In todays society, with so many broken homes and absentee parents, grandparents often find themselves raising their grandchildren, and many stepmothers raise children who arent biologically their own. They can be, and often are, just as affected by a grandchild or stepchild serving in the Armed Forces of the United States as biological parents, spouses, siblings and children are, and need to be recognized as an important part of military families.

We, the undersigned, feel it is unjust that so many people are authorized to display the Service flag, while grandparents and stepmothers are not. We believe that the current regulations should be changed to include grandparents and stepmothers of members of the Armed Forces of the United States as family members authorized to display the Service flag. We urge you to change the regulations as soon as possible.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.