Have You Seen Flags With A Red Border And A Blue Star?

I've seen flags flying outside of people's homes.  Mostly I see U.S. Flags, Syracuse flags, Bills, Jets, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, and of course Boilermaker flags.  However, recently I've been seeing more and more of the flags that feature a red border and a single blue star in the center, like the one pictured here.

As a veteran of the armed forces myself, I guess I should have known the meaning behind these flags, but I had to get out the old google machine and get the scoop by electronic means.

According to my old standby, Wikipedia.org, this is actually a flag that family members of service men and women display at their home signifying a service member serving during a time of war or a situation where the U.S. is engaged in hostilities.  A gold star (with a blue edge) represents a family member that died during service, without specifying cause of death. The deceased might have been killed in action, or died due to unrelated causes.

Either way, these flags deserve the utmost of respect.

Get more information about the Service Flag HERE