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Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:49 pm
by Estonut
My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:04 pm
by Bob Juch
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
Sounds like a guidon, but I can't see an Army unit using a white flag.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:53 pm
by mrkelley23
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
Long shot, but could it be some variation on the Chicago Cubs flag, could it?

Or some variant of the Ohio state flag?

I doubt it, because neither seems to match your description very well, and I believe you would be careful with such a description. But maybe.

I also found out while poking around that another name for the swallowtail is "burgee," in case that helps your searching.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:40 pm
by Bob Juch
mrkelley23 wrote:
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
Long shot, but could it be some variation on the Chicago Cubs flag, could it?

Or some variant of the Ohio state flag?

I doubt it, because neither seems to match your description very well, and I believe you would be careful with such a description. But maybe.

I also found out while poking around that another name for the swallowtail is "burgee," in case that helps your searching.
I think a burgee is just triangular.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:47 pm
by triviawayne
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
You could always ask him

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:38 pm
by Ritterskoop
If it's down now, it really might have been Cubs support.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:33 am
by Estonut
mrkelley23 wrote:Long shot, but could it be some variation on the Chicago Cubs flag, could it?
Image
When I saw your post, I thought, "no way." Looking at the image, it could be a variation. The trouble is that with no wind, the flag droops so nothing is visible, with a slight wind, as we had Friday, it moves and flaps too much to be sure what I'm seeing. I'm hoping for a stronger, sustained wind on Saturday. His flag definitely has a white background with no pinstripes, at least none visible from across the street. To me, the bear part on his flag looks a little flatter and I never noticed the ears at the top. I will look again tomorrow. The part that intrigues me is that I couldn't tell what the blue blob was and the white "squiggle" looked like a curvy triple "W," almost resembling Arabic writing. Looking at the flag you posted, I think it's a possibility, although I don't recall him mentioning any tie to Chicago before.

My mom saw it a day or two ago and thought it was odd that he was flying a flag with a child's face on it. I discounted her observation, as she was a day or two post-cataract removal surgery. :)
mrkelley23 wrote:Or some variant of the Ohio state flag?
By your capitalization, I think you mean this:
Image
This has the same colors and flag shape that I'm seeing, but it is way too busy.

and not this:
Image
mrkelley23 wrote:I also found out while poking around that another name for the swallowtail is "burgee," in case that helps your searching.
Thanks. I tried, but it seems burgees are used more in nautical applications.

Thanks for the info, Mr.K!

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:40 am
by Estonut
Bob Juch wrote:I think a burgee is just triangular.
As usual, you're wrong. Burgee means an identification flag. Its shape is usually swallow-tailed or triangular.

Definition of burgee:

Dictionary.COM:
1. a triangular flag or one having a shallow, angular indentation in the fly, forming two tails, used as an identification flag, especially by yachts.

Merriam-Webster:
1: a swallow-tailed flag used especially by ships for signals or identification
2: the usually triangular identifying flag of a yacht club

Three more:

bur·gee
(bər-jē′, bûr′jē)
n.
A small distinguishing flag displayed by a yacht.
[Perhaps from French dialectal bourgeais, shipowner, from Old French burgeis, citizen, from bourg, bourg; see bourg.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.


burgee
(ˈbɜːdʒiː)
n
(Nautical Terms) nautical a triangular or swallow-tailed flag flown from the mast of a merchant ship for identification and from the mast of a yacht to indicate its owner's membership of a particular yacht club
[C18: perhaps from French (Jersey dialect) bourgeais shipowner, from Old French borgeis; see bourgeois1, burgess]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014


bur•gee
(ˈbɜr dʒi, bɜrˈdʒi)
n.
a small nautical flag or pennant, used for identification or as a signal.
[1840–50]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:45 am
by Estonut
triviawayne wrote:
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
You could always ask him
Thanks! I never would have thought of that! :roll:

TBH, I didn't want to bother him. He is getting really frail and needs a walker to get around the house. He has a sunken living room and I didn't want to risk making him fall while answering my ring of the doorbell, just to satisfy my curiosity. I planned to ask him next time I see him outside, but sometimes that might not be for a couple of weeks. People here know all kinds of stuff, so I thought I'd give it a shot here, in the meantime. Mr. Kelley may be on to something.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:52 am
by Estonut
Ritterskoop wrote:If it's down now, it really might have been Cubs support.
What's weird is that I'm not sure that it was flying Thursday, but it definitely was flying on Friday (after they had lost).

He has lights on them, so they fly 24/7, except for the rare occasions we have rain. I don't know if he's still raising and lowering it himself, or if one of his relatives does it. I'll check again on Saturday.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:26 am
by triviawayne
Estonut wrote:
triviawayne wrote:
Estonut wrote:My neighbor is a WWII veteran of the Army, IIRC. He has always flown the American flag on a flagpole in front of his house. He (or a helper) has recently added a new flag right underneath it. I assumed it was the flag of some veterans group, but was unable to find a Google image of it.

It appears to have:
• White flag with a swallowtail (notch or fork) on the fly end (away from the pole)
• Wide red circle
• A blue shape in the circle with a wide white squiggle across it, perhaps with 3 "waves" in the squiggle

Does anyone know what this might be?
You could always ask him
Thanks! I never would have thought of that! :roll:

TBH, I didn't want to bother him. He is getting really frail and needs a walker to get around the house. He has a sunken living room and I didn't want to risk making him fall while answering my ring of the doorbell, just to satisfy my curiosity. I planned to ask him next time I see him outside, but sometimes that might not be for a couple of weeks. People here know all kinds of stuff, so I thought I'd give it a shot here, in the meantime. Mr. Kelley may be on to something.
Can't just walk up to the flag and unfurl it for a peek?

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:52 am
by jaybee
Estonut wrote: Does anyone know what this might be?
You could always ask him[/quote]Thanks! I never would have thought of that! :roll:

TBH, I didn't want to bother him. He is getting really frail and needs a walker to get around the house. He has a sunken living room and I didn't want to risk making him fall while answering my ring of the doorbell, just to satisfy my curiosity. I planned to ask him next time I see him outside, but sometimes that might not be for a couple of weeks. People here know all kinds of stuff, so I thought I'd give it a shot here, in the meantime. Mr. Kelley may be on to something.
[/quote]


I think it is a pretty safe bet that somebody who is pretty much a shut-in within their house and flies a flag that probably has some kind of meaning to them - They would welcome a neighbor stopping by to ask about it. I bet it would be interesting for you too. No better day than today to stop by and ask.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:07 am
by elwoodblues
Or you could go to the expert.


Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:34 am
by Bob Juch
Estonut wrote:
Ritterskoop wrote:If it's down now, it really might have been Cubs support.
What's weird is that I'm not sure that it was flying Thursday, but it definitely was flying on Friday (after they had lost).

He has lights on them, so they fly 24/7, except for the rare occasions we have rain. I don't know if he's still raising and lowering it himself, or if one of his relatives does it. I'll check again on Saturday.
Just wait for a windy day.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:35 am
by Bob Juch
Estonut wrote:
Bob Juch wrote:I think a burgee is just triangular.
As usual, you're wrong. Burgee means an identification flag. Its shape is usually swallow-tailed or triangular.

Definition of burgee:

Dictionary.COM:
1. a triangular flag or one having a shallow, angular indentation in the fly, forming two tails, used as an identification flag, especially by yachts.

Merriam-Webster:
1: a swallow-tailed flag used especially by ships for signals or identification
2: the usually triangular identifying flag of a yacht club

Three more:

bur·gee
(bər-jē′, bûr′jē)
n.
A small distinguishing flag displayed by a yacht.
[Perhaps from French dialectal bourgeais, shipowner, from Old French burgeis, citizen, from bourg, bourg; see bourg.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.


burgee
(ˈbɜːdʒiː)
n
(Nautical Terms) nautical a triangular or swallow-tailed flag flown from the mast of a merchant ship for identification and from the mast of a yacht to indicate its owner's membership of a particular yacht club
[C18: perhaps from French (Jersey dialect) bourgeais shipowner, from Old French borgeis; see bourgeois1, burgess]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014


bur•gee
(ˈbɜr dʒi, bɜrˈdʒi)
n.
a small nautical flag or pennant, used for identification or as a signal.
[1840–50]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
You really need to get another hobby.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:44 am
by Estonut
triviawayne wrote:
Estonut wrote:
triviawayne wrote:You could always ask him
Thanks! I never would have thought of that! :roll:

TBH, I didn't want to bother him. He is getting really frail and needs a walker to get around the house. He has a sunken living room and I didn't want to risk making him fall while answering my ring of the doorbell, just to satisfy my curiosity. I planned to ask him next time I see him outside, but sometimes that might not be for a couple of weeks. People here know all kinds of stuff, so I thought I'd give it a shot here, in the meantime. Mr. Kelley may be on to something.
Can't just walk up to the flag and unfurl it for a peek?
If only I were 10 feet taller...

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:26 pm
by silverscreenselect
How many rows of stars does it have?

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:41 pm
by Estonut
Bob Juch wrote:
Estonut wrote:
Bob Juch wrote:I think a burgee is just triangular.
As usual, you're wrong. Burgee means an identification flag. Its shape is usually swallow-tailed or triangular.

Definition of burgee:

Dictionary.COM:
1. a triangular flag or one having a shallow, angular indentation in the fly, forming two tails, used as an identification flag, especially by yachts.

Merriam-Webster:
1: a swallow-tailed flag used especially by ships for signals or identification
2: the usually triangular identifying flag of a yacht club

Three more:

bur·gee
(bər-jē′, bûr′jē)
n.
A small distinguishing flag displayed by a yacht.
[Perhaps from French dialectal bourgeais, shipowner, from Old French burgeis, citizen, from bourg, bourg; see bourg.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.


burgee
(ˈbɜːdʒiː)
n
(Nautical Terms) nautical a triangular or swallow-tailed flag flown from the mast of a merchant ship for identification and from the mast of a yacht to indicate its owner's membership of a particular yacht club
[C18: perhaps from French (Jersey dialect) bourgeais shipowner, from Old French borgeis; see bourgeois1, burgess]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014


bur•gee
(ˈbɜr dʒi, bɜrˈdʒi)
n.
a small nautical flag or pennant, used for identification or as a signal.
[1840–50]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
You really need to get another hobby.
Hobbies generally require investments of time. I can usually prove you wrong in under a minute.

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:50 pm
by Bob78164
Estonut wrote:
triviawayne wrote:
Estonut wrote:Thanks! I never would have thought of that! :roll:

TBH, I didn't want to bother him. He is getting really frail and needs a walker to get around the house. He has a sunken living room and I didn't want to risk making him fall while answering my ring of the doorbell, just to satisfy my curiosity. I planned to ask him next time I see him outside, but sometimes that might not be for a couple of weeks. People here know all kinds of stuff, so I thought I'd give it a shot here, in the meantime. Mr. Kelley may be on to something.
Can't just walk up to the flag and unfurl it for a peek?
If only I were 10 feet taller...
Or had a ten-foot pole? --Bob

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:22 pm
by Beavis & Butthead
Bob78164 wrote:
Estonut wrote:If only I were 10 feet taller...
Or had a ten-foot pole? --Bob
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Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:52 pm
by christie1111
I was thinking yacht club when you described the shape. And the 3 squiggly lines might be waves on the blue water.