SwiftVets.com

bk_mo

This is kind of off the forum. My husbands father fought in WWII european theater and asian theater. Army Air Corp Infantry. We have his flag and it has red, white, red, tan or (cackey) strip in it. We have never found anyone who can explain the tan stripe. Can any of you help answer it would mean so much to us to know what that tan stripe means. He lost his father when he was eight years old to a car accident. His mother gave the flag to him. We have wondered for years what the tan stripe means.
_________________
BK

Aristotle The Hun · PO1 Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 488 Location: Naples FL

Good luck. Given the range of experise on this forum you should solve your mystery.

Should this question be in the "Research" forum?

Sam
_________________
Deportè Monsieur Kerrè

LewWaters · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:02 am Post subject:

Moving over to Research for now. I hope someone can answer, it sounds interesting.
_________________
Clark County Conservative

Schadow · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:08 am Post subject:

BK -

Can you describe the flag a little more? Regular flag shape? Describe how the stripes are arranged and if they are the same width. Also, "Army Air Corps Infantry" is somewhat a mystery designation. Do you know what your husband's father did in the service? I'm thinking it may have been a captured enemy flag.

This may be tough to track down.

Schadow

OKLady · Lt.Jg. Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 126 Location: Edmond, OK

do you have access to a digital camera? It might be easier to identify if you post a picture of it on the forum...

BuffaloJack · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:39 pm Post subject:

Your best chance at getting a reliable answer is writing to Cecil Adams of the Straight Dope. www.straightdope.com. His email address is cecil@chicagoreader.com and he's been answering questions like this for a quarter of a century or more.
If anyone can get a straight answer about the tan stripe it's Cecil.
P.S. - If Cecil or his staff give you decent answer, pleasse post the answer so we all can satisfy our curiosity.
Jack

bk_mo · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:41 pm Post subject: checking post

Just checking my post. The flag was used to cover his fathers casket during burial then folded for the family. I believe it's a standard size flag. The tan stripe being the only difference. I'll ask some further questions when I get home from work and get more details about his service during the war. I can take a picture of it but have no idea how to post that here. Perhaps I could e-mail it to someone who knows how to post pictures. Thanks to everyone for trying to help.
_________________
BK

Schadow · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:29 pm Post subject:

BK -

When you mentioned 'red, white, red, tan' in your original post, I was thinking of some foreign flag. But the flag sounds like a normal 48-star American flag but with a tan stripe on it. Describe where the tan, or khaki, stripe is placed on the flag. Any writing on the khaki stripe?

Schadow

USMC_CommGod · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject: How to post images...

This is very curious...and I suppose that because it was draped on his coffin, it WASN'T a captured enemy flag. So the mystery continues..

Just FYI, the way to post an image is semi-easy. The more complicated part, is first loading the image onto an HTTP server. A good place, if you don't have one of your own, is geocities.yahoo.com. Create an account, and then upload your images.

Then you open those images into a browser, e.g. http://whatever.com/myimage.jpg

Next you take that URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and select the "Img" button in your post window (or just manually type "img" with brackets [blah] around it), paste your image URL (right behind the image tag), and then close the tag with "/img" surrounded by brackets.

The post window has a little "hint", right above the text entry portion. Finally, hit Preview or Submit, and you're done.
_________________
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

USMC_CommGod · Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:42 pm Post subject:

Of course, details are still forthecoming...but can you say if the "tan / khaki" stripe is actually that...or could it possibly be a washed-out kind of yellow? Question

I ask, because I was just doing some generic googling...and on the Army's historical Flag site, there are some USAAC flags which have red and yellow stripes (but also the unit's ensignia), e.g.:

http://tmg110.tripod.com/usarmyd.htm

Or perhaps a service streamer? e.g.:

http://tmg110.tripod.com/usarmyst2.htm

P.S. I LOVE the StraigthDope!!! Cool

_________________
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

bk_mo · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:43 am Post subject: Update

The flag has 48 stars.
13 stripes. Bottom of the flag starts with red, white, red, then one solid kachki(forgive spelling) stripe with no markings. It is not discolored. Colors are all very bright.
On the side of the flag where you would tie it up to hang it has:
ANNIN & CO. 5X9 1/2 FT. US

Honorable Discharge papers State:
Organization-1564th AAF Base Unit Date of Separation: 2 Nov 45
Place of Separation-AAF Separation Base Baer Field Ft. Wayne Ind
Munitions Worker 901 Marksman Carbine 24 Nov 43

Battles and Campaigns: Rome-Arno North Apennies Southern France Northern France GO 33 WD 45 Po Valley Rhineland GO 40 WD 45 Air Combat Balkans Ltr MTO 19 Apr 45
European African Middle Eastern Service Medal American Theater Service Medal Distinuished Unit Badge GO 3604 15th Air Force 25 Sep 44 Good Conduct Medal SO 51 460th Bomb Group 18 Apr 44

Discharge papers are a little hard to read, I think I got most of the important information from them correct. I would appreciate your input if this post helps clarify some details that might lead to finding out the meaning of the one stripe.

thanks
_________________
BK

RogerRabbit · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:52 am Post subject:

might try Annin and give them details of it

http://www.annin.com/
_________________
"Si vis pacem, para bellum"

GIaunt · Seaman Joined: 08 Oct 2004 Posts: 174

the "Links" pointer on Annin.COM
points to several places that may be able to help....
I did some quick searching, but didn't find anything...

Is the tan stripe sewn in like the other stripes, or is it added on, or is it sewn in with different thread/stitches (modified after original construction)?

bk_mo · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:26 am Post subject: stripe

yes it's sewn in like the rest. It was provided by the military for burial. Soldiers folded it and presented it.
_________________
BK

GoophyDog · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:07 am Post subject:

Sounds to me like a transitional flag. One that had normal non-acid washed cotton but with one strip of white that had been acid washed. It was cotton treated with a nitrite solution for bleaching but iwhat was found was it acted like photo paper and darkened with age. Since it was a whole strip of cloth the aging would be even for its length.

Example: Some reenactments of the shroud of Turin demonstrated what could be done with the application of some nitrite solutions. Just a bad batch perhaps?
_________________
Why ask? Because it needs asking.