The Blue-star flag, created in 1917, recognizes that a family member is serving in the armed forces. By displaying these banners, Americans not only acknowledged their contributions to the war effort, they expressed pride in the sacrifices made by their loved ones. On the July 1942 cover of McCall’s, a blue-star flag appears in the window above a mother and son. Communities and organizations, such as the church pictured on the Homefront cover, also created blue-star flags to honor their members. Each star represented an individual serviceman.
World War II blue-star flag from the NMAH Armed Forces History Collection