MyBlueStarFlag.com is owned and managed by Grantham University, one of the oldest, private, post-secondary, degree-granting distance education universities in the United States. The University currently provides higher education opportunities to students around the world.

Hailed by the Military Advanced Education (MAE) as one of America’s “Top 20 Military-Friendly Colleges & Institutions” for three consecutive years (read release), Grantham University is dedicated to  providing military service members, veterans and their families access to a high quality college education. Many Grantham students are currently serving our country domestically and around the world. In honor of all of the brave men and women in uniform, Grantham University is proud to sponsor the Blue Star Flag program and pay tribute to their hard work, dedication and service to our country.  To learn more about Grantham University, click here.

In honor of all of the brave men and women in uniform, Grantham University created this site to not only offer a FREE Blue Star Flag to service members and their families but also give users a platform to share their stories with others. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or recommendations for the site and thank you for your support.

History of the Blue Star Flag

The Blue Star Flag first appeared in 1917, when an Army captain who had two sons serving on the front line designed it as a tribute to their dedication and service. The flag quickly became the unofficial symbol of a child in the service. Today, families who have a loved one serving in the military display a blue star flag in the inside front window of their homes to show the family’s pride in their loved one who is serving and to remind others that preserving America’s freedom demands much.

During World War I, the Blue Star Flag was used with subsequent standardization and codification by the end of World War II. They were not popular during the Vietnam Conflict but have come back into use.  In modern usage, an organization may fly a service flag if one of its members is serving active duty.

Manufacture of these flags are only by specific government license in the territories under American jurisdiction.  The same section of the U.S. Code that limits manufacture of the banner also mentions lapel pins. There is no legal specification of the banner’s size. According to the DoD code, the flag size ratio must be 1:1.9. When displayed with the national flag, the latter should take the place of honor. If the flags displayed differ in size, the national flag should be larger.

Blue and gold are the only colors specified for use, but some say silver stars are customary for those discharged from service because of wounds.  Silver Star Families is an organization attempting to encourage the U.S. Congress to make the silver star official for those wounded in military service.

Proper Display of Blue Star Flag

Display of the Blue Star Banner first came about during World War I. During WWI and WWII most flags were hand made by mothers across the nation. One of the most famous flags was that of the five Sullivan brothers who all perished on the U.S.S. Juneau.

The Service flag may also be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving during a period of war or hostilities. The Service Flag is an indoor flag and should be flown facing out from the front window of the home or organization.

If the U.S. flag is also displayed with the Service flag, the U.S. flag should be of equal or greater proportions and should take the place of honor above the Service flag. Each blue star on the flag represents a service member in active duty. A gold star is displayed if a service member is killed in action or dies in service. If several stars are displayed by one family the gold star takes the honor of being placed at the top. The gold star should be slightly smaller than the blue star to create a blue border surrounding the gold star.

Display of a Service Star Banner is done during times of war.