Defense Primer: Gold Star Designation (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 31, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF11200 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Barbara Salazar Torreon; Carly A. Miller |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
During the years of U.S. participation in World War I
(WWI, 1917-1918), a service banner with a blue star was
flown by some families to represent each family member in
military service. The white field, edged with red, holds up
to five stars. A practice developed that when a
servicemember was killed or died the blue star would be
replaced with a gold one. The Department of Defense
(DOD) policy regarding display of the gold star on the
Service Flag is contained in DOD Instruction ((DODI)
1348.36, Gold Star Lapel Button, Service Flag, and
Service. The policy remains essentially unchanged, stating:
“If the Service member symbolized is killed or dies from
causes other than dishonorable, the star representing that
individual will have a gold star of smaller size
superimposed on it, so that the blue forms a border.”
In a separate but related practice, President Woodrow
Wilson approved a recommendation in May 1918 made by
the Women’s Committee of the Council for National
Defense that American women should wear a black band on
the upper left arm, affixed with a gold star to signify the
loss of a family member during the war. President Wilson
described such women as “Gold Star Mothers” in his letter
to the Council.
In October 1942, Congress passed Public Law 77-750 that
authorized the Secretary of War to approve a standard
design for a service flag and a service lapel button.
