With 2 kids serving in the military, I certainly would not disrespect the flag. I am simply stating what my daughter who is in the (Army) military AT THIS TIME indicated that it stands for - maybe times have changed since others have served.....my response wasn't meant to cause your BP to go up or for any other reason than to inform what I was told. And in addition, my son in Iraq (who is a USMC LCPL) also is familiar with the patch being worn that way - so it may be something only in tuned in for this generation of military personnel. Maybe everyone has their own interpretation for all we know. And despite what anyone thinks, we ARE in distress at this time, there is no doubt about it. Hope this clarifies things.