Fact Sheet

1. Of the more than 1.4 million service men and women who have served in the two war zones, nearly 700,000 have become eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care, of whom about 230,000 have sought such care since 2002.

2. A total of about 50,000 troops have been wounded in action. The survival rate of those wounded is higher than it was in Vietnam and much higher than World War II, due to body armor, advances in battlefield medical procedures, and more rapid evacuation.  Concern is growing about injuries and ailments that have come to mark this war: amputations, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and the mental and emotional shock of combat.

3. "Of the Iraq/Afghanistan veterans who sought care from the VA, about 38 percent have received at least a preliminary diagnosis of a mental health condition, and 18 percent have received a preliminary diagnosis for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), making it the most common, but by no means, the only mental health condition related to the stress of deployment." - Michael Kussman, Undersecretary of the Veterans Health Administration, told a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing in February, 2008.

4. According to the Congressional Research Service, more than 50,000 of our military service personnel and veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious wounds and permanent disabilities.

Service Flags

A Service Flag in the United States is an official banner that family members of service members in harm’s way can display.

The flag or banner is defined as a white field with a red border, with a blue star for each family member in active duty. 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.

The Service Flag can also be called a Blue Star Service Banner or a Gold Star Service Banner depending on the color of the stars.

The banner was designed in 1917 by United States Captain Robert L. Queisser of the Fifth Ohio Infantry, in honor of his two sons who were serving in World War I. It was quickly adopted by the public and by government officials. On September 24, 1917, an Ohio congressman read into the Congressional Record:
“The Mayor of Cleveland, the Chamber of Commerce and the Governor of Ohio have adopted this service flag. The world should know of those who give so much for liberty. The dearest thing in the world to a father and mother - their children.”

These flags were first used in World War I, with subsequent standardization and codification by the end of World War II. They were not popular during the Vietnam Conflict but have come back into use.

Manufacture of these flags are only by specific government license in the territories under American jurisdiction. The same section of the U.S. code that limits manufacture of the banner also mentions lapel pins. There is no legal specification of the banner’s size. According to the Department of Defense code, the flag size ration must by 1:1.9. When displayed with the national flag, the latter should take the place of honor. If the flags displayed differ in size, the national flag should be larger.

Blue and gold are the only colors specified for use, but some say silver stars are customary for those discharged from service because of wounds. Silver Star Families is an organization attempting to encourage the U.S. Congress to make the Silver Star official for those wounded in military service. There is no analogous banner known in other countries.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to meet the unmet needs of our wounded veterans and their families. 100% of funds raised by OHOH will be awarded to wounded veterans and their families that provide care for them.