THERAPEUTIC VEXILLOGRAPHY: a POPULIST TREND in the UNITED STATES by John M
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January — March 2005 Vol. 38 • No. 1 January — March 2005 Issue #185 THERAPEUTIC VEXILLOGRAPHY: A POPULIST TREND IN THE UNITED STATES By John M. Purcell nated in 1917 as envisioned by a thing, however small, to honor their Populist vexillology is an area of former U.S. Army officer, R. L. service personnel, and to feel that considerable interest to flag schol- Queisser of Cleveland, Ohio2 (Figure they are able in this way to symbol- ars, but for the most part it has been 1, page 3) The basic design of the ize their commingled feelings of anxi- defined by flags created for political flag is a white field bordered in red. ety, hope, patriotism, and some- or protest purposes to rally persons One or more five-pointed blue stars times, in the case of the gold star, of like belief to a particular cause, a are placed in the center of the field grief. practice that has become universal to represent the number of persons Another example of therapeutic in nature in recent decades, as tele- serving in the armed forces from a vexillography is the POW/MIA flag vised newscasts continually demon- family, business, or other institu- designed by Norman Rivkees and strate. Notwithstanding, there is tion. In the event of the death of an members of Annin & Company’s another trend in popular vexillology individual on active service, a gold advertising agency in 1971 for the that seems currently to be largely star overlays the blue star to signify National League of Families of Ameri- limited to the United States, a ten- the loss. The gold star is usually can Prisoners and Missing in South- dency that might be called “thera- slightly smaller than the blue star, east Asia. (Figure 2) The now-famil- peutic vexillography,” which appears so it appears to have a blue border. iar black and white flag with its sil- to be a growing phenomenon. The Displayed indoors, the flag is often houette of a member of the armed terminology implies that flags are hung as a banner from a crossbar. forces in what is presumed to be a created by individuals for a particu- The U. S. Department of Defense prison camp represents an attempt lar unhappy circumstance as a way established regulations in Septem- to deal with the traumatic situation of coping with the personal grief that ber, 1996 governing the use and dis- of not knowing whether the armed results from it. Dr. Tracy Pirtle, a play of the flag “for the duration of a forces member who is unaccounted professor of counselor education at period of war or hostilities in which for is a prisoner or has died in an Texas A&M International University, the Armed Forces of the United unknown location. For a grieving alludes to this idea, even though he States are engaged.”3 individual who has no way to deter- does not mention flags per se: The gold star tradition began dur- mine the status of a missing loved “For every war or conflict in which ing World War I when President Continued on page 2 Americans have participated, popu- Woodrow Wilson in 1918 sanctioned lar culture has created a variety of the idea that American women wear January — March 2005 symbols which reflect, refocus, “a gilt star” on black armbands to INSIDE THIS ISSUE: reframe and sometimes redefine the symbolize family members killed in Therapeutic Vexillography reality of these past events. The new the war.4 Display of this flag was symbolic representations (books, widely practiced by the public, and Flags at the Flight 93 Memorial songs, motion pictures, television in later hostilities, especially World Members’ flags Letters miniseries, and etc.) serve as a War II, the custom continued. The Mesa, Arizona Flag Contest psycho-affective novocaine that al- recent Iraqi conflict saw a revival of Flag Cartoons In The News low us to deal with traumatic situa- its use, even flown on city flag poles Vexillological Associations tions in a socially acceptable and for its citizens in combat. The dis- New Fort Worth Flag 1 play of the Service Flag is an effort cathartic way.” Budget Report Roswell NM Perhaps one of the earliest ex- by those not directly involved in war- President’s Letter Chumley amples of this idea in vexillology is fare to feel that they have done some- VexiloBaires 2005 NAVA 39 the National Service Flag that origi- —1— NAVA News 38/1 - #185 Continued from page 1 serve a therapeutic function for the triotic holiday in our lifetime. How one, the display of the POW/MIA flag persons making and displaying traditional icons and rituals are re- assumes a comforting role, a gesture them. Following the September 11, tained or modified, how and why new that something, at least, has been 2001, disaster, the same kind of pro- rituals and icons are introduced, and done to acknowledge the loss. cess took place as more than 60 the representation and usage of the Since its creation, the POW/MIA quilts were created from various pan- American flag in all of this—these are flag has captured the popular imagi- els donated from locations around things we should keenly be observ- nation in the United States, and now the U. S. and the world for display in ing.”11 enjoys a legal status conferred on it Washington, D.C. for several weeks An excellent opportunity to witness by the U. S. Congress, which, on at the Ronald Reagan Building and first-hand the introduction of new August 10, 1990, passed U.S. Pub- International Trade Center. The nar- icons presented itself with the cre- lic Law 101-355, designating it as rative accompanying one of the quilts ation of a temporary memorial to the “the symbol of our Nation’s concern says that the artwork conveys the ill-fated United Airlines Flight 93 and commitment to resolving as fully community’s “sorrow and support in that crashed near Shanksville, Penn- as possible the fates of Americans a direct way.”9 sylvania.12 What strikes the visitor still prisoner, missing and unac- The preceding is by way of back- to the memorial at once is the pro- counted for in Southeast Asia, thus ground to the real thrust of this pa- liferation of flags, but besides the ending the uncertainty for their per. The dreadful events of Septem- scores of U.S. flags, and a number families and the Nation.”5 In 1998 ber 11, causing the destruction of the of other national flags to commemo- Congress passed the Defense Autho- World Trade Center in New York City, rate the nationalities of several pas- rization Act, which designates six a portion of the Pentagon in Wash- sengers from other countries, there days each year when the flag is to ington, D.C., and a crashed aircraft are at least six flags displayed that be displayed at the White House, the near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, cre- are uniquely designed as U.S. Capitol, the Departments of ated a kind of national emotional vexillographic memorials to those State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, trauma, probably not experienced who perished not only in Pennsyl- headquarters of the Selective Service since the attack on Pearl Harbor in vania, but in New York City and System, major military installations Hawaii in 1941. The American pub- Washington, D.C., as well. Five of the as designated by the Secretary of lic reacted in horror and shock, and six flags catch the eye immediately, Defense, all Federal cemeteries, and many felt the need to do something as they fly from the memorial’s top all offices of the U.S. Postal Service.6 to help alleviate the sorrow of those portion. (Figure 3) Research on each In 2002 a further law mandated that most directly affected by the tragedy. of these flags has yielded some in- the flag be flown on a daily basis at Pat Aufderheide, Professor and Di- teresting information. the National Vietnam Veterans Me- rector of the Center for Social Media The first flag, as seen from the right morial, the Korean War Veterans in the School of Communication at (Figure 4), consists of a vertical blue Memorial, and the World War II Me- American University in Washington, bar at the hoist, occupying about morial, and thus by inclusion of D.C., writes, “Therapeutic patriotism one-third of the field. The rest of the World War II, extended its purview was the first response. The therapeu- field has five horizontal stripes, three beyond Southeast Asia, and today tic approach presumes a model of red and two white. On the blue bar is taken by most observers to stand healing, which reflects the realities is a large five-pointed star composed for POWs and MIAs in any theater of emotional stress and recovery.”10 of several elements. Each of the of war. In this respect a great many Ameri- points is made up of ten smaller Psychologist Philip Rieff maintains can flags were displayed, both at white stars grouped evenly around that talking or writing about prob- half-staff and grouped in large dis- a white pentagon. In the center of lems is a way to deal with them.7 By plays, a traditional exhibition of na- the pentagon is a red keystone. The extension, one could include the cre- tional mourning. However, another designer, who remains anonymous, ation of a flag to serve a similar pur- phenomenon occurred, unique in the placed a plaque below the flag with pose. Much the same idea can be American tradition: the creation of an explanation of the flag’s symbol- found in the creation of the so-called new flags to commemorate the events ism.13 The blue color represents the AIDS Quilt, which was conceived in of September 11.