A recent Army article noted the continuation of a longstanding aviation tradition:  conducting sorties with American flags onboard the aircraft.  These “combat experienced” flags are then given to any of a variety of organizations or requesting individuals back home.

The [Army aviators] fly the flag a bit differently. They fly their flags inside an Apache attack helicopter while patrolling the skies of Iraq. 

The motivation behind the tradition is fairly obvious:

“The American flag is a great honor and a great symbol of our country. To have a flag that was over in combat, flown on a mission; it’s very powerful to a lot of people,” said 1st Lt. Michael Moran, an Apache pilot…

This tradition was previously noted, as was the correlation with having such a significant “marker” in one’s own Christian life.