The National Security Act of 1947 called for the design of an official
seal for the Department of the Air Force. President Truman officially
approved the new seal on 1 November 1947.
By 1949 a project was underway at USAF Headquarters to develop
an Air Force counterpart to the Army regulation on flags. From 1949
to 1950 work continued on the project and an Air Force organizational
flag program based on the motif of organizational coats of arms
was developed. The Department of the Air Force flag was to be represented
by the shield and coat of arms from the Air Force Seal. Subordinate
organizations would use a similar, but smaller, flag in which the
shield would contain the organizational emblem and the scroll the
name of the Air Force branch, organization, or unit. Dorothy G.
Gatchell created the design of the Air Force flag.
The flag appeared publicly for the first time March 31 1951 at
a parade in Washington honoring visiting French President Vincent
Auriol. The design of the flag has not been changed since its introduction
in 1951. It consists of The Air Force Coat of Arms and the encircling
thirteen stars of the Air Force Seal; beneath the coat of arms shield
is a scroll inscribed with the words "United States Air Force."
The two dominate colors of the flag, ultramarine blue and golden
yellow are the official Air Force colors. The 13 encircling stars
represent the 13 original colonies. The Crest is made up of the
the American bald eagle and symbolizes the United States airpower.
The white clouds behind the eagle show the start of a new sky -- The Department of the Air
Force. The Shield, right below the eagle and wreath, is divided
horizontally into two parts by a nebuly line representing clouds.
The top part of the Shield bears a golden yellow thunderbolt with
flames in natural color which shows striking power through the use
of aerospace. The background of the top part of the Shield is a
light blue (representing the sky).
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