Why are our American troops wearing the American flag backwards in Iraq?

Excellent discussion, and made me very curious so I went on the hunt for answers and was surprised by what I found. I'm copy/pasting a small portion and providing a link for those that would like to read the whole story. Here's what I found: Author and Air Force veteran Dale Brown, who writes novels on military intrigue, believes it’s time to do away with what he calls “these abominations” immediately. Doing a little research, Brown found that this backwards look is called the “reverse-side flag." As Brown blogs, “If you imagine the soldier wearing the patch on his right shoulder as charging forward, so the soldier is in effect the flagstaff, the flag is ‘fluttering’ in the proper direction.” But, Brown notes, “If it was aligned as normal, the flag would be fluttering the opposite way, which would imply that the soldier is moving backwards, or retreating. Therefore, since a US soldier should never be seen as retreating, the flag should be backwards.” Full story at: http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=3305&IssueNum=15 Here is another link that I thought that you might find interesting it's the does and don't of the American Flag. http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html Again I want to thank you for an excellent discussion, the hunt for an answer was fun. :)

I guess this is some sort of a war sign i believe. Because here in our country, when the flag is backwards, it means there is a war going on.

Some of the mylot friends answered your discussion posted the websites which explain why the troops wearing the flag backwards. But I don't get it. Why should wearing it backward means they are brave? If they wear it upside down, then what would that mean?

I'm sorry that I don't know the answer to this, and I have nothing much to add to this conversation other than to ask what the 'sinister meaning' you suspect is???

Hanging the flag upside down means that something is wrong with our country/government or something. I don't remember where I read this, but maybe the backwards flag means the same thing.

This is called in Armed Forces Parlance as "Arrogance Syndrome". Americans can kill Afghans, Vietnamees, Latin Americans, Africans and Iragis.If Saddam do this on his people it is crime. If Americans do this on other natianlitis it is war against crime. Liberty, Equality Justice only guranteed to the Americns not to any other citizens. If one allows to conduct such trials and wars like that of Irag lot of US Prescidents skeltens will stand in witness box for the excesses they committed. One is not kid to forget how the Imperialists ruled the colonies!Do you want to count the skeltons across the globe? When the soldiers cannot understand the reason for such attack, when the cannot find any weapons of mass distruction, when the use million dollor bomb to destroy a 100 dollor tent then they simply wear the ranks upside down.And this is called as " Arrogance Syndrome" and also " Ignorance syndrome' as they cannot decide the decision. Intersting, but you wont agree to this argument, I suppose.

I've not heard of this. Was this on the news? I am going to read other responses, I would think it is pretty disrespectful. Was this on cnn?

"Why are our American troops wearing the American flag backwards in Iraq?" I'm interested to know the answer but I have not found the right answer. I also don't know.

I have never heard of anything so bizarre, and the very long and complicate explanation, huh? something not right, I mean hang the flag like it should hang, why make something so simple so darn complicated? Why did you ask if someone from the Middle East could answer this. Do you think there is a more sinister meaning behind this.