{"id":1872,"date":"2014-12-10T17:00:02","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T22:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=1872"},"modified":"2024-06-28T12:12:42","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T16:12:42","slug":"service-flags-honor-family-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/service-flags-honor-family-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Service flags honor family members"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"WWI<\/a>
WWI postcard with service flag flying<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In July 1917, Mrs. Charles Signer of Olympia, Washington, did something involving a flag that was worthy of attention in the newspaper. But her action didn\u2019t include the American flag<\/span><\/a>. Rather, it focused on a flag that was brand new to the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst Service Flag<\/span><\/a> Will Be Hoisted in Olympia\u201d read the headline. Mrs. Signer, whose husband was a lieutenant in the Army, wanted to honor him, so she put up the first service flag in the state.<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a>
Robert Queisser, creator of the service flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The article explained to readers that \u201cevery family, a member of which is in the service of either the army or navy, may have and display one of these \u2018Service Flags.\u2019 The flag\u2026is white with a fine border of red. In the center are to be placed blue stars to correspond with the number of members of the family in the service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Signer handmade her banner. \u201cI just bought some white muslin and red and blue calico,\u201d she said. But stores also stocked them. For instance, that same month, a Rhode Island newspaper carried an ad for Levy\u2019s Flag Shop, which declared that \u201cevery home should fly a service flag.\u201d A Michigan business sold them for $2.95 and $4.75, depending on whether they were made of cotton or wool.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A service flag hangs over recruits from Indiana University in 1918<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Service flags were created in 1917 by an Ohioan, Captain Robert Queisser, to salute his sons who were serving in World War I. The notion of honoring servicemen with a flag quickly spread across the U.S.<\/p>\n

\nThe rectangular flags are bordered in red with a white center. A star for each member of the family in the service is displayed in the white portion. A blue star salutes a living relative; gold denotes the loss of a life. More recently, silver stars are being used to indicate someone wounded in war.<\/p>\n

Service flags were an immediate sensation with families in 1917, and businesses, colleges, churches and other institutions soon caught flag fever. For example, The United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company in New York City flew a service flag with 25 stars to honor employees who had gone off to the war in Europe.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A WWI service flag poster substitutes a Red Cross for a star<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Cleveland, Ohio, Civil War veterans who attended a Congregational church sang \u201cAmerica\u201d as they raised a service flag with 13 stars.<\/p>\n

The flags are a symbolic expression of a heartfelt sentence often spoken in recent years: \u201cThank you for your service.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In July 1917, Mrs. Charles Signer of Olympia, Washington, did something involving a flag that was worthy of attention in the newspaper. But her action didn\u2019t include the American flag. Rather, it focused on a flag that was brand new to the world. \u201cFirst Service Flag Will Be Hoisted in Olympia\u201d read the headline. Mrs…. continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[230,245,19,246,126,146],"class_list":["post-1872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-military","tag-mrs-charles-signer","tag-patriotism","tag-service-flag","tag-soldiers","tag-world-war-i"],"yoast_head":"\nService flags honor family members<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mrs. Signer, whose husband was a lieutenant in the Army, wanted to honor him, so she put up the first service flag in the state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/service-flags-honor-family-members\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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