Service Flag pennant - E.A. Schmidt.

U.S. Service Flag combined with the crossed rifles of the US Infantry.
This small, felt, olive drab pennant is a variant of the US Service Flag which was introduced during the First World War to designate family members serving in the US Armed Forces. This variant bears the US Service Flag combined with the crossed rifles of the US Infantry.

Service Flags were and are an official flag of the US Government, whose use and display, although widespread and largely arbitrary, were actually controlled by the Secretary of the Army (now the Secretary of Defense), who was tasked with overseeing their design, construction and manufacture. This pennant was a civilian produced version.

Service Flags were generally used to bolster morale on the home front. If a member of the family was killed, the star that was representative of the deceased loved one would be changed to gold.

This example was displayed for a soldier named E.A. Schmidt, who mustered for service at Camp Lewis, Washington in May of 1918, went overseas in the latter part of June and returned safely home in January of 1919. Named Service Flags like this are unusual, while a pair of service flags (See ZFC1383) from the same family is even rarer.

This felt pennant is pressed into a brass bar for display

Provenance: Acquired at Wesley Cowan auction, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2001.

ZFC Noteworthy Flag
Item is Framed

Sources:

---

Service flag, Wikipedia, 2 May 2012, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_flag

Service Flag (U.S.), Flags of the World, 2 May 2012, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Esvc.html

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection

Hoist & Fly
Width of Hoist	12
Length of Fly	6

Frame
Is it framed?	yes
Frame Height	8
Frame Length	14

Stars
Are there stars on obverse?	no
Are there stars on reverse?	no

Stripes
Has a Blood Stripe?	no

Crest/Emblem
Description of Crest/Emblem	Flag + Guns

Nationality
Nation Represented	United States

Fabric
Fabric	Velvet

Documentation
Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Drawings	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Research Documents	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.
Public Copy & Signs	All original documents and drawings are held in the Zaricor Flag Collection Archives.

Condition
Condition	Excellent
Displayable	yes