Colours, Guidons & Streamers of the United States Army

United States Army flags traditionally have been used for purposes of identification and the fostering of esprit de corps. The present policies stem from ideas and practices dating back to the Revolutionary War. In turn, those were influenced by the military traditions of Western Europe to a great extent. The English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and others brought to North America their flags, military uniforms and other official symbolism. Leaders of the colonists were familiar with military traditions and those of England and France, particularly.

With the Declaration of Independence and the formation of troops, came the need for items to identify the soldiers and military units.  On February 20, 1776, Washington’s headquarters issued as order on flags quoted, in part, below:

        "As it is necessary that every Regiment should be furnished Colours, and that those Colours should…bear some kind of similitude to the Uniform of the regiment to which they belong, the Colonels… may fix upon such as are proper, the standard (or Regimental Colours) and Colours for each Grand Division, …The Number of the Regiment is to be mark’d on the Colours, and such a Motto, as the Colonel may choose, in fixing upon which, the General advises a Consultation amongst them. The Colonels are to delay no time, in getting this matter fix’d, that the Quarter Master General may provide the Colours as soon as possible;…"

This order emphasized the significance of organizational colours to the Army by directing expeditious design and procurement; delegated responsibility for design and procurement and prescribed design pattern elements.

Armies

Corps

Infantry Divisions

Organizational Flags

Separate Brigade

Regiments & Separate Battalions

Companies of Separate Battalions - Chemical

Separate TOE unit without

Branch Insignia

Companies of a Battalion of Regiments Special Forces

HQ Company of a Separate Battalion Psychological Operations

1. BACKGROUND. a. Battle honours were first depicted by inscribing the names of battles on the organizational colour or guidon. On 25 August 1861, Major General John C. Fremont, commanding the Western Department, commended troops from Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri for their extraordinary service in the battle of Wilson's Creek, near Springfield, Missouri which had occurred 10 days earlier. The Union soldiers had fought a Confederate force five times as large and the battle ended in a moral victory for the Union Army. Fremont ordered the word "Springfield" to be emblazoned on the colours of the units involved in the fighting.

b. General Order 19, War Department, 22 February 1862, prescribed that there should be inscribed upon the colour or guidons of all regiments and batteries the names of the battles in which they had borne a meritorious part.

c. On 7 February 1890, the use of inscribed battle honours upon the national and regimental colours was discontinued and engraved silver rings, now called silver bands, were authorized. This practice continued until 1918 when the silver bands were in short supply and the War Department authorized the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces (Gen. John J. Pershing) to locally procure ribbon as a substitute and inscribe on the ribbon strips the name of special battles and major operations that colour bearing units of the AEF had been engaged in during World War I. These ribbon strips became the forerunners of our present day campaign streamers.

d. Hand embroidered silk streamers were introduced on 3 June 1920. The original directive prescribed that there would be a silk streamer for each war in which the organization participated in the theatre of operations and to be the colour of the campaign ribbon for the different wars. The name of the battle or campaign of a war was embroidered on the ribbon.

e. Unit award streamers were also first authorized in 1920 when the War Department authorized a blue silk streamer with the name of the action embroidered thereon. The streamer was adopted to reflect organizations "Mentioned In Orders" by the War Department for meritorious service in action.

2. CURRENT STREAMERS/DECORATIONS. Only campaign streamers are displayed on the Army flag and they are 2 3/4 inches wide and 4 feet long. Streamers (2 3/4 inches wide and 3 feet in length) are currently authorized for display by organizations authorized a distinguishing flag to indicate the following:

a. Campaign Streamers. The streamer reflects campaign participation credit and is the campaign or service ribbon design authorized for the soldiers for that specific conflict or operation during the period. Organizations display the streamers on the colours for campaigns or service for which they have received campaign participation credit as shown on the unit's lineage and honours. The inscription is as shown on the unit's lineage and honours/statement of service. Campaign streamers displayed by organizations do not have the date of the campaign embroidered on the streamer unless it is part of the name (e.g. Mexico 1916-1917). The 174 campaign streamers displayed on the Army flag include the date of the action:

How 

the Streamers 

are displayed 

The Army Flag and it's Streamers The 174 streamers attached to the Army Flag staff denote campaigns fought by the Army throughout our nation’s history. Each streamer (2 ¾ inches wide and 4 feet long) is embroidered with the designation of a campaign and the year(s) in which it occurred. The colors derive from the campaign ribbon authorized for service in that particular war. The concept of campaign streamers came to prominence in the Civil War when Army organizations embroidered the names of battles on their organizational colors.

This was discontinued in 1890, when units were authorized to place silver bands, engraved with the names of battles, around the staffs of their organizational colors. When AEF units in World War I were unable to obtain silver bands, General Pershing authorized the use of small ribbons bearing the names of the World War I operations. In 1921 all color-bearing Army organizations were authorized to use the large campaign streamers currently displayed. "The Army Flag and Its Streamers" was originally prepared in August 1964 by the Office of the Chief of Military History, in cooperation with the Office of the Chief of Information, and the U.S. Army Exhibit Unit, to provide general summaries of each of the campaigns displayed on the Army flag. It was subsequently updated by the Center of Military History to add the campaigns from Vietnam.

World War I. There were 13 campaigns for World War I during the period 1917-1918. The streamer is the World War I Victory Medal ribbon which had a red centre with a rainbow on each side of the centre stripe and a purple edge. The double rainbow symbolizes the dawn of a new era and the calm which follows the storm. 

The following inscriptions in white are authorized:

WW2 Asiatic Pacific Theatre. There were 21 campaigns in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre. The Asiatic Pacific Campaign streamer is yellow with a narrow blue, white and red centre stripe and a narrow white, red and white stripe on each side. The yellow colour represents Asia; the blue, white, and red stripes taken from the American Defence Medal refer to the continuance of American Defence after Pearl Harbor. The red and white stripes are the Japanese colours. 

The following inscriptions in blue are authorized:

The following inscriptions in yellow are authorized:

The following inscriptions in yellow are authorized:

The following inscriptions in white are authorized:

Unit award streamers are used by organizations to indicate the unit has been awarded a unit decoration. Both foreign and U.S. unit decorations are reflected through the use of unit award streamers. In addition to the regular size unit award streamers for display by units on the organizational flag, unit award streamers (1 3/8 inches wide and 2 feet long) are displayed by separate companies authorized a guidon. The inscription and device, if required, will be as indicated on the unit's lineage and honours. Unit awards for companies of battalions are normally displayed on the battalion flag.

Army Presidential Unit Citation. A blue streamer with the name of the action embroidered in white.

The streamer represents a degree of heroism required that would warrant award of the Distinguished Service Cross to an individual. It is accompanied by the emblem

which is worn by all members of the Unit (for life by the soldiers involved and while in the Unit by later arrivals)

• Aussie Units awarded this honour include 3RAR (Kapyong) D/6RAR (Long Tan) and AATTV

The degree of achievement required is the same as that which would warrant a Legion of Merit to an individual. It is accompanied by the emblem

which is worn by all members of the Unit (for life by the soldiers involved and while in the Unit by later arrivals)

• Aussie Units awarded this honour include 1RAR (for service with US 173rd Airborne Brigade in SVN) and AATTV members for service in SVN

The streamer consists of the following stripes: blue, yellow, red, green (centre), red, yellow, blue. The inscription is embroidered in white.

It is accompanied by the emblem

which is worn by all members of the Unit (for life by the sailors involved and while in the Unit by later arrivals)

• Aussie Unit to be awarded this honour is 3rd Clearance Diving Team RAN for service in SVN

A bronze palm is centered between the hoist end of the streamer and the first letter of the inscription.

 It is accompanied by the emblem

which is worn by all members of the Unit (for life by the soldiers involved and while in the Unit by later arrivals)

• Aussie Units awarded this honour include 1RAR (awarded but acceptance blocked by Canberra) and ARVN Units that members of AATTV served with.

Stars, 1½ inches in diameter, are used to indicate the level of the foreign military which cited an organization for an award. A gold star represents citation by a corps, a silver star by a division, and a bronze star by a brigade/regiment. The embroidered gold, silver and bronze stars are cantered between the hoist end and the first letter of the inscription on foreign awards. 

A blue embroidered star is placed 1½ inches after the last letter of the inscription on the combat infantry streamer to indicate subsequent awards.