How to Wear American Flag Patches on Clothing

As a patriotic American, you like showing off your love for all things red, white, and blue. When it comes to wearing American flag patches on clothing, you might have a few concerns. Let's take a look at how to wear American flag patches on clothing to avoid any disrespect or faux pas.

The first thing to keep in mind about how to wear American flag patches on clothing is the placement. As a civilian, you should still wear the flag patch on the arm of the shirt in the same manner as soldiers and other military personnel. If you wear the flag patch anywhere else, it can be seen as a display of disrespect. While you can technically wear the flag patch in other areas, the sleeve is considered the proper placement by most.

The matter of how to place the flag on the sleeve is also important to note. Much like how soldiers are instructed to wear their official flag patches on their uniform, a civilian should wear the flag patch so that the stars are in the forward position in the top corner as if it were flowing in the wind. If you are placing the patch on the left sleeve, you want the star field in the upper left side whereas placing it on the right sleeve you want the stars in the same area. You can either buy a patch specified for right arm wear or place the flag what you would call backward to ensure the star field is always facing forward.

It should also be noted that the placement of a flag patch should also be placed above all other patches, especially other flag patches. This is important because nothing should be placed above your country and displaying any other patch higher up on your sleeve would be a disrespect to all the flag continues to represent.

Since many people add patches to bags and backpacks, people wonder if there are any rules regarding this type of patch placement in regard to the flag. If you are placing a flag patch on a bag, the same rules apply about making sure it is in the highest position over other patches, especially other flag patches, and making sure the stars are in the upper forward position. You also want to make sure the patch isn't placed near the bottom of the bag to avoid it hitting the ground. While it isn't the same as letting the actual American flag touch the ground in terms of disrespect, it should still be considered to make sure you always honor the flag of our great nation.