Huh and you are right. In the photos and video evidence of the times the flag was stars to the rear on patches or armbands. Probably just goes to show that military decisions tend not to wax poetic during large scale wars.

While the article is correct on the the hows and whys of the flag patch on the modern military uniform, it’s not true of the uniform during and after WW2. Actually, the flag patch wasn’t a part of the army uniform during WW2, if we want to get really historically accurate about it. They were worn specifically by paratroopers during the invasion of France to identify them as American, because they were dropped behind enemy lines and were at risk of being mistaken for Axis soldiers by the main assault forces approaching from the coast. We’ve chosen to include it on the uniforms of certain members of The Specialists, but at this point even in our alternate universe its usage is not standard.