Anyone Know About Flags?

The forum for general posting. Come join the madness. :)
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Anyone Know About Flags?

#1 Post by Estonut » Fri Oct 20, 2017 4:49 pm

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?

User avatar
Bob Juch
Posts: 26427
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Oro Valley, Arizona
Contact:

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#2 Post by Bob Juch » Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:04 pm

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.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.

User avatar
mrkelley23
Posts: 6260
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 6:48 pm
Location: Somewhere between Bureaucracy and Despair

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#3 Post by mrkelley23 » Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:53 pm

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.
For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled. -- Richard Feynman

User avatar
Bob Juch
Posts: 26427
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Oro Valley, Arizona
Contact:

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#4 Post by Bob Juch » Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:40 pm

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.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.

User avatar
triviawayne
Posts: 678
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:38 am

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#5 Post by triviawayne » Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:47 pm

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

User avatar
Ritterskoop
Posts: 5717
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#6 Post by Ritterskoop » Fri Oct 20, 2017 10:38 pm

If it's down now, it really might have been Cubs support.
If you fail to pilot your own ship, don't be surprised at what inappropriate port you find yourself docked. - Tom Robbins
--------
At the moment of commitment, the universe conspires to assist you. - attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#7 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:33 am

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!
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#8 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:40 am

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.
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#9 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:45 am

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.
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#10 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:52 am

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.
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
triviawayne
Posts: 678
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:38 am

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#11 Post by triviawayne » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:26 am

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?

User avatar
jaybee
Posts: 1922
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:44 pm
Location: Knoxville, TN

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#12 Post by jaybee » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:52 am

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.
Jaybee

User avatar
elwoodblues
Posts: 3630
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:36 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#13 Post by elwoodblues » Sat Oct 21, 2017 8:07 am

Or you could go to the expert.


User avatar
Bob Juch
Posts: 26427
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Oro Valley, Arizona
Contact:

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#14 Post by Bob Juch » Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:34 am

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.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.

User avatar
Bob Juch
Posts: 26427
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Oro Valley, Arizona
Contact:

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#15 Post by Bob Juch » Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:35 am

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.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#16 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 10:44 am

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...
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
silverscreenselect
Posts: 23174
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:21 pm
Contact:

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#17 Post by silverscreenselect » Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:26 pm

How many rows of stars does it have?
Check out our website: http://www.silverscreenvideos.com

User avatar
Estonut
Evil Genius
Posts: 10495
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:16 am
Location: Garden Grove, CA

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#18 Post by Estonut » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:41 pm

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.
A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five.
Groucho Marx

User avatar
Bob78164
Bored Moderator
Posts: 21626
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:02 pm
Location: By the phone

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#19 Post by Bob78164 » Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:50 pm

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
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." Thomas Jefferson

User avatar
Beavis & Butthead
Merry Man
Posts: 78
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:00 am
Location: On the couch

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#20 Post by Beavis & Butthead » Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:22 pm

Bob78164 wrote:
Estonut wrote:If only I were 10 feet taller...
Or had a ten-foot pole? --Bob
Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!! Huh huh huh!!!

User avatar
christie1111
11:11
Posts: 11630
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:54 am
Location: CT

Re: Anyone Know About Flags?

#21 Post by christie1111 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:52 pm

I was thinking yacht club when you described the shape. And the 3 squiggly lines might be waves on the blue water.
"A bed without a quilt is like the sky without stars"

Post Reply