What does a white flag indicate during a war

Did you know that the National flag of the Philippines changes when the country is at war? Well, it does! In a peace state, the flag looks like this: It has Three Stars and a Sun (actually this is the name of the flag) and a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of blue and red, with blue being on top. This is the flag that’s in use during peacetime. But, When the country is in war though, the flag is flown upside down in order for the red to go on top: (the article continues after the ad) In fact, the law which support this change has also a clarification in the case the flag is in hanging position: “If the flag is in hanging position, the blue field shall be to the right (left of the observer) in time of peace, and the red field to the right (left of the observer) in time of war.” This change brings some confusions though… In 2016, Facebook mistakenly created a banner for the celebration of the Independence Day in the Philippines with the flag being in the “war” position:

Author • Jordan Brasher Assistant Professor of Geography, Columbus State University Disclosure statement Jordan Brasher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners The Conversation UK receives funding from these organisations View the full list An 1897 lithograph shows changes in Confederate flag design. The ‘Southern Cross’ design, chosen to visually distinguish Confederates from Union soldiers in battle, became a symbol of white insurrection. The infamous diagonal blue cross with white stars on a red background The official flag went through a series of changes in attempts to distinguish Confederate from Union troops. The Confederacy would ultimately adopt the “Southern Cross” as its battle flag – cementing it as a symbol of white insurrection. While it is technically the battle flag, it has been used the most, and therefore has become known more generally as the Confederate flag. The Confederate battle flag figures prominently in this depiction of the 1864 battle of Franklin, Tennessee. The original emblem Six decades before the Nazi swastika became an instantly recognizable symbol of white supremacists, the Confederate battle flag flew over the forces of the insurgent Confederate States of America – military troops The founding documents of the Confederacy make its goals of white supremacy and pre...

For the longest time, we’ve known that raising or throwing in the white flag meant that the person or group was surrendering to the enemies or opponents. Today, the white flag is an internationally recognized symbol of ceasefire, surrender, or truce, and that they’re open for negotiation. But where did the custom come from? The White Flag The use of a white flag to signify surrender was first mentioned during the far Eastern Han dynasty, around the first three centuries AD, although it was first associated with death and mourning for them. Later on, the color white became a symbol of surrender, as well as to show their sorrow in defeat and the soldiers that they had lost. At the same time, in ancient Rome, chronicler Livy narrated how a Carthaginian ship was decorated with “white wool and branched of olive” as a symbol of parley during the Second Punic War. On the other hand. Tacitus wrote about white flags that were also being displayed when the Vitellian forces surrendered during the Second Battle of Cremona in 69 AD. The Mayor of Jerusalem, Hussein Salim Al-Husseini (with a walking stick and cigarette), with his party under a white flag-of-truce, attempts to deliver the surrender document signed by the Ottoman Governor Izzat Pasha just outside Jerusalem’s western limits on the morning of December 9, 1917, to Sergeants James Sedgewick and Frederick Hurcomb of 2/19th Battalion of the London Regiment (fourth and seventh from left in the picture). ( Historians believed that...

Silver Star Service Banner A service flag or service banner is a • while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; • while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or • while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party against an opposing armed force; or those who lost or lose their lives after March 28, 1973, as a result of: • an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of Defense; or • military operations while serving outside the United States (including the commonwealths, territories, and possessions of the United States) as part of a peacekeeping force. Background [ ] Based on the star symbols used on the service flag, the term "Blue Star" has come into use in the United States as a reference to having a family member in active military service, while the term "Gold Star" has come to refer to the loss of a family member in military service. For example, the mother of a person who died in service is referred to as a "Gold Star mother", and the wife of an active service member is referred to as a "Blue Star wife". Charitable support organizations have been established for The use of the terms has sometimes been restricted to refer to service during specific armed conflicts. For example, the service banner originally applied on...

We all know that a white flag (or cloth) signifies a soldier’s intention for surrender, truce or parley. In fact, waving a white flag is far from being a custom; it’s enshrined in the Well, we decided to search for the answer for all of you useless info junkies out there. Let’s see what historians have to say. White flags were used as a surrender signal in both Rome and China for thousands of years. What’s incredible is that the tradition is believed to have been developed independently in the West and East. More specifically, in the West we have records of white flag being used in A.D. 69 by Roman writer Cornelius Tacitus. While he was writing about the Second Battle of Cremona, Tacitus mentions that the Vitellians “waved a white flag when surrendering to the Vespasians”. In China, the custom is believed to have originated at around A.D 25-220 under the Eastern Han dynasty. So why do two very different cultures chose the same color? (the article continues after the ad) SO, WHY WHITE? Even though we can’t be 100% sure, historians agree that the color selection was just a matter of convenience. Since white cloths were quite common and always handy in the ancient world, this is probably the case of troops having to improvise with the materials they had on hand. In addition, white is highly visible in the heat of battle and against most natural backgrounds so it made sense to use them at the battlefield. Moreover, i also believe that this happened for one more reason: a white...

No explanation was given concerning the symbolism of the flag, but the intent of the designer was clear. The square shape in which the flag was normally represented was a subtle reference to the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America. In 1905 the legislature considered a proposal to add stars to the state flag, which would have made it even more similar to the Battle Flag; the flag was left unaltered, however. In 1939 Alabama adopted a state coat of arms directly incorporating the Confederate Battle Flag along with the flags of other governments that had controlled Alabama, including those of France, Spain, and Great Britain. In addition it rejected the state seal established in 1868 by the Reconstruction government, which featured the U.S. shield and bald eagle, in favour of its original seal, which featured a map of Alabama and its rivers.

About the Service Flag The Service flag is an official banner authorized by the Department of Defense for display by families who have members serving in the Armed Forces during any period of war or hostilities the United States may be engaged in for the duration of such hostilities. The Service flag, also called the Blue Star Flag, was designed and patented by WWI Army Captain Robert L. Queisser of the 5th Ohio Infantry who had two sons serving on the front line. The flag quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in service. President Wilson became part of this history when in 1918 he approved a suggestion made by the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defenses that mothers who had lost a child serving in the war wear a gold gilt star on the traditional black mourning arm band. This led to the tradition of covering the blue star with a gold star on the Service flag to indicate that the service member has died. During WWII the practice of displaying the Service flag became much more widespread. Most flags were hand made by mothers across the nation. One of the most famous flags was that of the five Sullivan brothers who all perished on the U.S.S. Juneau. The Blue Star Mothers was founded as a Veteran Service Organization and was part of a movement to provide care packages to military members serving overseas and also provided assistance to families who encountered hardships as a result of their son or husband serving in the war. In 1960 Congress chartered t...

• (Subscription or • flag. (2008). Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica. • E. Pottier, Douris, London, 1909, p. 105 fig. 20, Plate XXV.b • www.crwflags.com. Further reading [ ] • Wise, Terence (1978) Military flags of the world, in color. New York: Arco Publishing. 184p. External links [ ] •

Facebook Twitter Pinterest First Navy Jack Flag The First Navy Jack Flag was allegedly created by Commodore Esek Hopkins, the first Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy when he issued orders for the first US navy ships to "fly a striped Jack and Ensign at their proper places." The flag had 13 red and white stripes with an American rattlesnake, a symbol of American unity, in the center, over the words "Don't Tread on Me." In spite of the fact that many Americans believe this is the first flag of the United States Navy, there is no definitive proof that the flag existed during the Revolutionary War. First Navy Jack Flag The First Navy Jack According to legend the First Navy Jack Flag, which is sometimes called the Continental Navy Jack, was raised on the first US Navy ships in the fall of 1775. The Congress had just created the Navy and they appointed Commodore Esek Hopkins, a Rhode Island captain, as the first naval Commander-in-Chief. Hopkins issued a set of fleet signals. The attack signal was to be the raising of "the striped Jack and Ensign at their proper places" from his command ship, the USS Alfred. The exact design of the flag was not specified, but the traditional belief is that the First Navy Jack Flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with a stretched out rattlesnake across the center. The words Don't Tread on Me stretched across the bottom below the snake. It is likely that John Paul Jones would have raised the First Navy Jack Flag on Commodore Hopki...