The United States service flag was first used in World War I and was on the doors and windows of millions of homes of members of the armed forces in World War II. Many of us who served our nation during World War II did not realize how proud our families were until that first furlough or leave when we arrives home and saw those blue star flags.

More than 400,000 of the blue stars became gold stars in memoriam before VE Day in 1945 and VJ Day in 1946. In 1967 during the Vietnam War, Congress codified the U.S. service flag.

At the Web site www.usmilitary.about.com, we read that service flags are back in style after being rarely seen since World War II.

I do not recall the American Legion or the VFW sounding a clarion call for the service flag’s return to prominence. There’s no reason for the Department of Defense not giving families service flags when their sons and daughters enlist in the armed forces and the gold star service flag when those who have served join the fallen.

The service flags would show how the defense of America is not being socioeconomically shared. If nothing else, we would know a few real American patriots are protecting the overwhelming majority of “Hell no, we won’t go!” pseudopatriots.

Leonard C. Harlow

Carmel