Caption this Photo if you think one is needed!!!!!

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[raybbr]

....

The flags are France,Germany,and Russia.

[raybbr]

I don't know if this is real or has been posted. It certainly deserves a look.

[Vor Lady]

The American flag is on the sleeve backwards. This must be a fake.

[M. Thatcher]

Not real. Has made the rounds for years. Fun, though.

[raybbr]

Hi. Take a look at this and send it on.

Ray

[Mad Dawgg]

Geez I am no expert but just the first glance at the non-blownup pic tells me it is Photoshopped.

[cripplecreek]

The flag is supposed to be backwards. I'm not quite sure why but it is.

[Dog Gone]

False.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/patch.asp

[M. Thatcher]

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/patch.asp

[MikefromOhio]

one look and you can tell it's a photoshop.....

[conservativehusker]

There was a post about this a few weeks back..something to do with the blue field always closer to the front...

[Vision]

The military turned the flags backwards because the troops like the look of the flag being carried into battle, as if on a pole.

[MikefromOhio]

The reason is on the snopes page.

But here it is:

The backward appearance of the U.S. flag on the serviceman's sleeve in this picture is not a mistake or anomaly. As the military newspaper Stars & Stripes explained, the flag patch worn on the right shoulder of a U.S. soldier's uniform is deliberately reversed:

Why do American soldiers wear the U.S. flag insignia "backwards" on the right shoulder of their utility uniforms, with the canton (the rectangle with the stars) on an observer's right?

It's a question that soldiers hear frequently as they travel through civilian airports, or talk to members of other services.

And it does look "wrong," because U.S. federal code calls for the canton to always be positioned to the left.

The soldiers aren't wrong, however, and neither are their tailors, Lt. Col. Stanley Heath, an Army spokesman, explained in a Friday telephone interview.

The Army actually has two authorized flag patches, one to be worn on the left shoulder, with the canton facing left, and another "reverse field" patch worn on the right, with the canton facing right.

The two different orientations are mandated because Army regulations call for the flag "to be worn so that to observers, it looks as if the flag is flying against a breeze," Heath said.

What does a stiff wind have to do with this custom?

In fact, the rule is a nod to the U.S. Army's early history, when wars were fought as a series of carefully choreographed battles — two armies meeting on a field, clashing head-on until one side emerged victorious.

In those battles, both mounted cavalry and infantry units would always designate one soldier as "standard bearer," to carry the Colors into the fight.

As the standard bearer charged, his rapid forward momentum would cause the flag to stream back.

And since the Stars and Stripes is mounted with the canton closest to the pole, that section would always be forward.

So if a soldier is charging into the battle, the flag would give the appearance of forward motion. For the right shoulder, the flag only appears "backward."

And that's why soldiers wear the flag patches on the right shoulder "backward." Because retreat in battle, as any soldier will tell you, is not the Army way.

[raybbr]

It's the first time I've seen it and it's still fun.

[Responsibility2nd]

The patch says "DOING THE WORK OF"

S/B

"DOING THE WORK FOR

[Vor Lady]

Thanks for the info; I read the Snopes article. My hubby was AF so it still looks backward to me.

[aft_lizard]

The American Flag is worn backwards on your sleeve, the Union is always towards the front when worn so because its on the left sleeve it looks backwards, also I heard the reason being is that in battle the American flag should always be advancing .

[Vor Lady]

Thanks; I read the article from Snopes.

[SampleMan]

The American flag is on the sleeve backwards. This must be a fake.

NO its not. On aircraft, uniforms, and other items than have a front and back, the field is always forward, so that the flag flies right. Only when static is the flag to have the field in the upper left. Or do you always stand on the correct side of a flag pole?

[aft_lizard]

meh....I am slightly wrong, darnit I should have read furtherdown.

[Vor Lady]

Whoa! I meant no offence to anyone. Which side is the 'correct' side of a cylinder?

[MikefromOhio]

No problem :)

[SampleMan]

Which side is the 'correct' side of a cylinder?

I was pointing out that half of the flags you see waving in the wind have the blue field on the right (unless you are avoiding the "wrong" side).

Not trying to beat you up. The full capitalization of "NO" was a typo on my part. Other than that, I was just trying to give you info with an example attached (the flag pole).

[Jemian]

The US flag on the sleeve of that HERO is on correctly. That way the flag is always advancing, never retreating.

[dinasour]

That way the flag is always advancing, never retreating.

Thanks. I knew the flag was correct, but couldn't say "why".

[Samwise]

flag-o-ping

[Vor Lady]

Arghh! Please watch as I fall on my sword! I spoke in haste. Until I read the Snopes article explaining the Army's code for flags on shoulders I had only seen flags on the left shoulder (my husband's AF uniforms from a long time ago) and on the right shoulder of all our Boy Scout uniforms, Karate uniforms, Tae Kwon Do uniforms, Girl Scout uniforms...stars on the left as you saw the flag. In the Snopes article it mentioned that soldiers get questioned by us civilians about the appearant problem with the flag patch, so I'm not the only one who has thought it was 'wrong'. One can see all kinds of derogatory photoshopped pictures on the internet; I took that photo to be such. The American flag on 'wrong' was only the first thing I thought was wrong. When my husband finished his flight training and was sent to his op base, I had to resew all his brightly colored patches with subdued patches in case of war. This was before all the patches were sewn onto velcro to make sanitizing the uniform quick. Give an old lady a break or I'll hit you with my cane! ;)

[MotleyGirl70]

The American flag is on the sleeve backwards. This must be a fake.

The picture itself is a photoshop, but the U.S. flag patch is on correctly.

It's suppose to resemble how it would look as if you were carrying it on a staff and walking forward, hence it would flow behind you :)

[MotleyGirl70]

Oops, I jumped the gun...I didn't see your post.

Yours is a better explaination anyhow.

[Vor Lady]

Please see post #26.;)

[Momaw Nadon]

Ping!

[Registered]

What goes around comes around. :-)

[MotleyGirl70]

I saw it after I posted mine. I was typing my out while you posted yours.

I better just leave this thread :)

[Jemian]

I only learned why when my son graduated from Basic last August.

[usmcobra]

It a well done photoshop.

[LongElegantLegs]

It's the Army, Granny. Left and right don't matter to them. ;-P