This is from a journal I receive. SOURCE:AMERICAN SPIRIT MAGAZINE "Rows of service flags hanging in windows became a common site on neighborhoods across the United States during World War 2. Otherwise known as "blue star banners" or "son in service flags", the banners, consisting of one or more blue stars centered on a white field with a red border, sent a simple but poignant message that families in those homes had a loved one fighting overseas. Each star represented a husband, son, or daughter. Many families displayed flags with multiple stars; some had banners draped in every window. Though the flags were designed and patented by World War 1 Army Captain Robert L. Queissner of the 5th Ohio Infantry to honor his two sons serving on the front lines, according to the American Legion, the flags didn't gain populartity until World War 2, when they became a symbol families used to show their pride and support for loved ones in the armed services. When a soldier was killed in action, his family would cover the blue star with a gold one to symbolize the ultimate sacrifice to the cause of liberty and freedom. As the war progressed, blue and gold stars often intermingled in one window - a touching reminder of the painful price many Americans paid. The flags held meaning for more than just families. Churches and organizationss also displayed them to honor community members fighting in the war. The service flag all but disappeared after the Korean War, despite the Department of Defense codifying it in 1967....."