United States Air Force
Flag of the United States Air Force
Other namesCeremonial Departmental Flag, United States Air Force Departmental Flag, HQ USAF flag
UseOther Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion33:26
Adopted26 March 1951
DesignThe U.S. Air Force's crest surrounded by thirteen white five-pointed stars on a blue field.
Designed byDorothy G. Gatchell
UseOther Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion4:3
AdoptedMarch 1951
DesignThe U.S. Air Force's crest surrounded by thirteen white five-pointed stars on a blue field.
Designed byDorothy G. Gatchell

The flag of the United States Air Force was introduced in 1951 and consists of the U.S. Air Force's crest and shield, which itself comprises 13 white stars and the Department of the Air Force's coat of arms on a field of blue. The 13 stars represent the 13 original British American colonies, the three star grouping at the top portray the three Departments of the Department of Defense (Army, Navy, and Air Force). The crest includes the North American bald eagle (the national bird of the US), the cloud formation depicts the creation of a new firmament, and the wreath, composed of six alternate folds of silver and blue, incorporates the colors of the basic shield design.

History

The flag was officially adopted by President Harry S. Truman on 26 March 1951. Elements of the flag's design are used on the Department of the Air Force seal as well as the U.S. Air Force's service mark.[1] Dorothy G. Gatchell designed the flag itself,[2] whereas the crest and shield that are featured on it were designed by Arthur E. Dubois.[3] The flag's design has remained unchanged since its introduction in 1951.

Design

There are two differently-sized variants of the flag that are used officially. A large one with an aspect ratio of 33:26, which also serves as the flag of the U.S. Air Force's headquarters element, and a smaller-sized variant with an aspect ratio of 4:3. The larger variant, known officially as the "Ceremonial Departmental Flag" and also referred to as being "Ceremonial"-sized, can be adorned with a 2-inch-wide fringe and campaign streamers, whereas the smaller variant may not be adorned with campaign streamers.

The flag itself consists of the "crest and shield" of the U.S. Air Force, defacing a field of blue. The exact shade of blue that is used for the field is Ultramarine Blue on the Pantone Matching System color scale.[4]

Streamers

Verified combat credit entitles an organization to the appropriate campaign streamers representing the named campaign in which it participated. The campaign streamer will be embroidered with the name and years of the campaign. Non-combat service is represented by an organizational service streamer, which is not embroidered.[5]

Mexican Revolution

Mexican Service
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Mexico 1916–1917 1916–1917

World War I

World War I Victory
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Somme Defensive 1918 21 March 1918 – 6 April 1918
Lys 1918 9 April 1918 – 27 April 1918
Champagne-Marne 1918 15 July 1918 – 18 July 1918
Aisne-Marne 1918 18 July 1918 – 6 August 1918
Somme Offensive 1918 8 August 1918 – 11 November 1918
Oisne-Aisne 1918 19 August 1918 – 11 November 1918
St. Mihiel 1918 12 September 1918 – 16 September 1918
Meuse-Argonne 1918 26 September 1918 – 11 November 1918
Alsace[lower-alpha 1]
Champagne[lower-alpha 1]
Flanders[lower-alpha 1]
Ile-de-France[lower-alpha 1]
Lorraine[lower-alpha 1]
Picardy[lower-alpha 1]
Theater of Operations Non-combat credit 6 April 1917 – 11 November 1918

World War II

American Theater

American Campaign
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Antisubmarine 1941–1945 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
American Theater Non-combat credit 7 December 1941 – 2 March 1946

European African Middle Eastern Theater

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Air Combat 1941–1945 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Antisubmarine 1941–1945 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Egypt-Libya 1942–1943 11 June 1942 – 12 February 1943
Algeria-French Morocco 1942 8 November 1942 – 11 November 1942
Tunisia 1942–1943 12 November 1942 – 13 May 1943
Sicily 1943 14 May 1943 – 17 August 1943
Naples-Foggia 1943–1944 18 August 1943 – 21 January 1944
Anzio 1944 22 January 1944 – 24 May 1944
Rome-Arno 1944 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944
North Apennines 1944–1945 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945
Po Valley 1945 5 April 1945 – 8 May 1945
Air Offensive, Europe 1942–1944 4 July 1942 – 5 June 1944
Normandy 1944 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944
Northern France 1944 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944
Southern France 1944 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944
Rhineland 1944–1945 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945
Ardennes-Alsace 1944–1945 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945
Central Europe 1945 22 March 1945 – 11 May 1945
European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Non-combat credit 7 December 1941 – 8 November 1945

Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Air Combat 1941–1945 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Antisubmarine 1941–1945 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945
Central Pacific 1941–1943 7 December 1941 – 6 December 1943
Philippine Islands 1941–1942 7 December 1941 – 10 May 1942
East Indies 1942 1 January 1942 – 22 July 1942
Papua 1942–1943 23 July 1942 – 23 January 1943
Aleutian Islands 1942–1943 3 June 1942 – 24 August 1943
Guadalcanal 1942–1943 7 August 1942 – 21 February 1943
Northern Solomons 1943–1944 22 February 1943 – 21 November 1944
Bismarck Archipelago 1943–1944 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944
Eastern Mandates 1943–1944 7 December 1943 – 16 April 1944
Western Pacific 1944–1945 17 April 1944 – 2 September 1945
New Guinea 1943–1944 24 January 1943 – 31 December 1944
Leyte 1944–1945 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945
Luzon 1944–1945 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945
Southern Philippines 1945 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945
Burma 1941–1942 7 December 1941 – 26 May 1942
India-Burma 1942–1945 2 April 1942 – 28 January 1945
Central Burma 1945 29 January 1945 – 15 July 1945
China Defensive 1942–1945 4 July 1942 – 4 May 1945
China Offensive 1945 5 May 1945 – 2 September 1945
Ryukyus 1945 26 March 1945 – 2 July 1945
Air Offensive, Japan 1942–1945 17 April 1942 – 2 September 1945
Asiatic-Pacific Theater Non-combat credit 27 June 1950 – 27 July 1954

Korean War

Korean Service
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
UN Defensive 1950 27 July 1950 – 15 September 1950
UN Offensive 1950 16 September 1950 – 2 November 1950
CCF Intervention 1950–1951 3 November 1950 – 24 January 1951
First UN Counter-offensive 1951 25 January 1951 – 21 April 1951
CCF Spring Offensive 1951 22 April 1951 – 8 July 1951
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 1951 9 July 1951 – 27 November 1951
Second Korean Winter 1951–1952 28 November 1951 – 30 April 1952
Korea, Summer-Fall 1952 1 May 1952 – 30 November 1952
Third Korean Winter 1952–1953 1 December 1952 – 30 April 1953
Korea, Summer 1953 1 May 1953 – 27 July 1953
Korean Theater Non-combat credit 27 June 1950 – 27 July 1954

Vietnam War

Vietnam Service
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Vietnam Advisory 1961–1965 15 November 1961 – 1 March 1965
Vietnam Defensive 1965–1966 2 March 1965 – 30 January 1966
Vietnam Air 1966 31 January 1966 – 28 June 1966
Vietnam Air Offensive 1966–1967 29 June 1966 – 8 March 1967
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II 1967–1968 9 March 1967 – 31 March 1968
Vietnam Air/Ground 1968 22 January 1968 – 7 July 1968
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III 1968 1 April 1968 – 31 October 1968
Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV 1968–1969 1 November 1968 – 22 February 1969
TET 69/Counter-offensive 1969 23 February 1969 – 8 June 1969
Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 9 June 1969 – 31 October 1969
Vietnam Winter-Spring 1969–1970 1 November 1969 – 30 April 1970
Sanctuary Counter-offensive 1970 1 May 1970 – 30 June 1970
Southwest Monsoon 1970 1 July 1970 – 30 November 1970
Commando Hunt V 1970–1971 1 December 1970 – 14 May 1971
Commando Hunt VI 1971 15 May 1971 – 31 October 1971
Commando Hunt VII 1971–1972 1 November 1971 – 29 March 1972
Vietnam Ceasefire 1972–1973 30 March 1972 – 28 January 1973
Vietnam Theater Non-combat credit 1 July 1958 – 28 March 1973

Persian Gulf War and Iraqi no-fly zones

Southwest Asia Service
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Defense of Saudi Arabia 1990–1991 2 August 1990 – 16 January 1991
Liberation and Defense of Kuwait 1991 17 January 1991 – 11 April 1991
Southwest Asia Ceasefire[lower-alpha 2] 1991–1995 12 April 1991 – 30 November 1995
Southwest Asia Theater Non-combat credit 2 August 1990 – 20 November 1995

Kosovo War

Kosovo Campaign
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Kosovo Air Campaign 1999 24 March 1999 – 10 June 1999

Global War on Terrorism

Global War on Terrorism Service[6][7]
Campaign name embroidered on streamer Date embroidered on streamer Inclusive dates
Global War on Terrorism September 2001 – present

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Campaign considered a "Defensive Sector," so there are no dates embroidered on the streamer.
  2. ↑ U.S. Air Force organizations to receive credit for this campaign have not yet been identified.

References

  1. ↑ "Important Information and Guidelines About the Use of Department of Defense Seals, Logos, Insignia, and Service Medals" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. 16 October 2015. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dorothy Gatchell. 71. Dies; Designed Air Force Flag". The New York Times. 28 January 1976.
  3. ↑ "The Air Force Flag" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  4. ↑ https://www.mortuary.af.mil/Portals/31/AFI%2034-1201%2C%20Protocol.pdf
  5. ↑ http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi34-1201/afi34-1201.pdf
  6. ↑ "AF Approves GWOT Streamers". Military.com.
  7. ↑ "New AF streamers approved for Global War on Terrorism Operations". September 2015.

Further reading

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