How exact is the way a Regimental flag looks?

[Niner]

Once upon a time I undertook promoting a battalion reunion for an infantry outfit that served in Vietnam. The 6th Battalion of the 31st Infantry. The notion came to me to want to see if I could find out what happened to the actual Regimental flag belonging to the battalion. The battalion itself had been deactivated long ago. First right after the close of their Vietnam service as a battalion in 1970. Then there was a brief revival of the battalion in the peace time Army then it was retired as a battalion for the last time.

My Congressman, after I wrote him, attempted to find out where the flag was. He responded that it was supposed to be in a National repository for flags of deactivated units. Further inquiry uncovered that myseteriously the flag wasn't to be found in the depository. It's location is unknown to this day to investigation.

At the reunion I did manage to borrow a flag the last battalion commander had made for his personal desire to do so as a keepsake. The flag had been made in Vietnam before he came home with the close of the battalion operation.

Now I have been seeing a copy of the Regiment flag on ebay for a long time that someone had made in speculation in Vietnam and offering for $500 or $600 with no takers. There is now a tapestry version printed in various sizes for lots cheaper as well. I knew that the Ebay one was not exactly right for the Vietnam flag because the seller of the higher dollar flag knew that the scroll at the bottom in his flag was different from the Vietnam era one and gave me that information. The one the battalion colonel had also reflected that. Then I found a photo of a battalion flag from the Korean war now held by a museum in China. It was captured as the regiment was chewed up in a desperate attempt to retreat from their lone area defense at the Chosin battle.

I made a image with all four of the flags. The "real" Korean war flag is top right. The expensive reproduction is top left. The Colonel's souvenir made flag is on the bottom left and the "tapestry" flag is bottom right. None of them are exactly the same. This suggests to me that probably none of the battalion flags of a US Regiment look exactly alike either. Of course the battalion number....in this case 6 will be different, but the details are widely different in each flag.

[Niner]

Another image ....not really clear...but. The Regiment in the Philippines probably in the mid to late 20's. Notice the different sequences of thirty-first, Infantry, regiment.

[Niner]

The once $500 and now $600 flag guy, has now produced what he thinks is a copy of the Vietnam 6th Battalion 31st Infantry flag. It's $600 on ebay now.