The Service Flag

Little flag in the window there,

Hung with a tear and a woman’s prayer,

Telling of men who have gone to the war,

O what a wonderful flag you are!

Blue is your leaf on its field of white,

Dipped in the red which was born to fight,

Born or the blood that our forbears shed

To raise the Ensign, the flag o’erhead.

And now you have come to this frenzied day

To speak from a window, to speak and say;

“I am the voice of a soldier son,

Gone to be gone till the victory’s won.

“I am the flag of service, Sir.

The flag of his mother—I speak for her

Who stands by my window and waits and fears,

But hides from others her unwept tears.

Little flag in the window there,

Hung with a tear and a woman’s prayer,

Telling of men who have gone to the wars,

O, what a wonderful flag you are![1]

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[1] The “Sons in Service” flag was used in the United States during World War I and World War II. Each family was entitled to hang a small Son in Service flag in their window. The blue star in the center of the red-bordered white rectangle signified a family member in active service. The star was replaced (or covered) with a gold star (in practice, yellow or dark yellow) if the family member died in action. (Hence the name of the organization “Gold Star Mothers” of women who had lost sons in the war.)

Sons in Service flags made and used by families usually were no larger than about one foot long. They were always hung vertically, a stick being sewn into the top heading of the flag and a piece of string attached to both ends of the stick - the string suspended at its midpoint from a hook or some other feature of a front window of the home. If a family had a husband and a son, or multiple family members in the service of their country, then additional blue stars were set into the white rectangle. (Source: “Flags of the World” website)