The Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc was founded as a Veteran Service Organization and was part of a movement to provide care packages to military member’s serving overseas and also provided assistance to families who encountered hardships as a result of their son or husband serving in the war.

In 1960 Congress chartered the Blue Star Mothers of America as a Veterans Service Organization and in 1966, the Department of Defense revised the specifications for design, manufacture and display of the Service Flag.

The Department of Defense specifies that family members authorized to display the flag include the wife, husband, mother, father, stepmother or father, parent through adoption, foster parents who stand or stood loco parentis, children, stepchildren, children through adoption, brothers, sisters and half brothers or sisters of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States.

Each blue star on the flag represents a service member in active duty.