Is that an upside down U.S. flag?

Originally posted by darkelf
Flying the flag upside down is a distress signal. No offence meant.

Originally posted by SourGrapes
I guess we normally do not hang flags upside down for distress (in the U.S.). We typically hang them at half-mast. I'm certain this will raise quite a few American brows, for sure.

Originally posted by twitchy
That's interesting. What does a backwards signal flag indicate?
I wonder if it is relevant to our troops in Iraq wearing theirs backwards?

Only the flag patches affixed to right shoulders of uniforms are reversed, so the blue field of stars faces forward. (Left shoulder patches aren't a problem, as the stars face forward without meddling.) The reversal was inspired by the age-old practice of carrying flags into battle. When fastened to a standard, the American flag's blue-and-white portion is always closest to the pole. A flag bearer rushing into the fray, then, would naturally lead with the stars. In fact, it would be virtually impossible to lead with the stripes—the flag would simply wilt and wrap around the pole, rather than waving triumphantly in the wind.

Originally posted by SourGrapes
I guess we normally do not hang flags upside down for distress (in the U.S.). We typically hang them at half-mast. I'm certain this will raise quite a few American brows, for sure.