Today’s US military flagstaff, the light ash wood guidon staff with the flat, silver spearhead, comes from a time when polearms were the weapon of choice for infantry and cavalry.

The image at the top of the page is a painting by Italian painter Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau called Batalla de Rocroi. The painting was created in 2011, and the battle was 19 May 1643.

This study is mainly for US staffs that emerged from European staffs and poles. Much of what is covered here can be duplicated for Asia. The Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc., used similar staffs and poles that served purposes for battle. Staffs and their finials have evolved over time in every country, and all have some sort of history with a few being extremely significant like the crown finial with a lock of the King’s hair in it for the military of Thailand.

The Flagstaff

Every staff and many poles in the graphic at right began life as a tool for farming or hunting. When the time for battle came, the tools became weapons of war.

Lance (around 8’ long – mounted troops) and pike (around 10’ long – infantry troops) are terms used for a flagstaff, but where do these terms originate? Historically, the pike is the guidon staff and flagstaff of dismounted units, and the lance is the same for mounted units. Note: the stave is a polearm, but not used as a flag or guidon staff (see below). This is identified in AR 260-10 (1944) the Army regulation that eventually became AR 840-10.

Notice the two longest polearms in the graphic at right, courtesy of lostkingdom.com are the pike and lance.

Below, are quotes from the earliest records I can find for flagstaff descriptions. AR 260-10 (1944, precursor to AR 840-10), Chapter 2. 2. Use and display. c. National color or national standard. (3) Service national color or standard. g. Flagstaffs.

(3) The flagstaff on which a color or standard is carried is known as a pike in the cases of colors of dismounted organizations, and as a lance in the cases of standards of mounted, mechanized, or motorized organizations and Army Air Forces groups. The pike and lance for colors and standards are of wood, natural color, 9 feet 6 inches in length, inclusive of the nickel or, chromium plated spearhead and ferrule[metal tip at the end of a pole, lance, or staff. The lance for Air Corps standards is jointed. [emphasis mine – this is history of what we now carry]

(4) The flagstaff on which a guidon is carried by dismounted units is known as a pike; by mounted, mechanized, or motorized units is known as a lance. The pike and lance for guidons are of wood, natural color, 8 feet in length, inclusive of the nickel or chromium plated spearhead and ferrule.

Chapter 12. 12. Distinguishing Flags. b. (1) President of the United States of America (b) The color of the President of the United States of America will be of blue silk, 3.6 feet on the staff by 5.65 feet fly of the same design as that of the flag of the President of the United States of America and will be trimmed on three edges with a knotted fringe of silver and gold bullion, 2 ½ inches wide. The device and stars will be embroidered. The staff will be of wood, ebony finish, single screw jointed, 10 feet 3 inches in length, including gold-plated head and ferrule. The head will be a globe 2 inches in diameter, surmounted by an American eagle, rising, 5 3/8 inches in height. Attached below the head of the staff will be a cord, 8 feet 6 inches in length, with a tassel at each end. Cord and tassels will be of red, white, and blue silk strands.

Today’s Flagstaff

For static display and color guard:

• Presidential: 10’
• Army: 9’6”, and 8’
• MC/N/CG: 9’6”
• AF/SF: 9’6”, 8’, 7’

Both the guidon staff and flagstaff are the same type, light ash or oak wood with silver-colored hardware. The staff nomenclature below is for the staffs for every service. I will address the peculiarities of the Navy and Coast Guard in the next section.

At right, is the middle screw joint type that you want. Thick threads that are easy to put together and take apart. Note: always use powdered graphite on all of the screw threads.

Notice the complete staff on the left of the image. The two-piece staff is supposed to break down in the center of the staff leaving two equal parts not vastly unequal as shown. For this type of staff, the wood tapers to the upper and lower ferrules.

This middle screw joint is not what you want unless you plan on screwing the staff together and never unscrewing it. Notice the circle at the lower ferrule. On this type of staff, the wood tapers, but does not taper to the width of the ferrule, there is a lip of wood.

In my research I found that a large majority of flag companies sell only this type. Please trust my decades of experience, you don’t want this type at all. Many also sell the wrong lengths of staffs for the military. I highly recommend going to Glendale.com and ordering staffs there.

I did manage to find one company (guidonsandmore.com) that sells a guidon staff without the lower ferrule, a rounded end, and the lower half does not taper. Only the AF/SF authorize this and only for static displays.

The wood of both halves of a staff are supposed to be the same length. It’s the lower ferrule and the finial that “stick out” at both ends.

The Static Display Staff

This staff is extremely cheap, and I don’t mean just inexpensive. It’s the standard staff sold in flag sets with different perfect-fit (more below in Finials) gold-colored finials, usually a spread eagle and a type of spearhead and was never intended to be carried in a color guard. The middle screw joint has extremely fine threads and is not meant to be taken apart and put together, like with a color guard, repeatedly. These staffs are meant for an office display, set it up once, and leave it.

This type of staff is not authorized for the US military, but since no one reads manuals anymore, you will find them all over bases inside just about every building.

How to Measure a Flagstaff

All military flag and guidon staffs are 1.25” across (you can get others that are quick thick). The wood is how you measure staff length. Military flagstaffs are 7’, 8’, and 9’6” long with the presidential staff measuring 10’ long. Those measurements are only the length of the wood. The upper and lower ferrules and finial are not part of the measurements. If the staff is a two-part type, the measurement includes the middle screw joint.

The Stave

A stave is a type of short quarterstaff, usually three to four feet long while a typical quarterstaff is six to nine feet long and many times has a ferrule at one or both ends. It was used as a walking stick and a weapon when needed. The stave was never used as a flagstaff. https://www.arms-n-armor.com/blogs/news/the-quarterstaff

The Pike Pole

Used primarily by firefighters for different ceremonial situations, it started out as a spear, that eventually was bent into a hook and used in battle to unhorse riders. It’s been used by ice fishermen and loggers since the 1600s and as a boat hook as well. Firefighters eventually discovered it’s beneficial use in ripping down ceilings and other parts of a structure and it was eventually adapted for ceremonial use in three different lengths, 10 around 3’ long, 2) around 6 feet long, and 3) around 8 feet long. The two longer versions are used as a ceremonial tool/weapon for stand alone guards in ceremonies and the longest version is sometimes used as a flagstaff.

The Finial

/fĭn′ē-əl/

Noun [also called a topper, head, or ornament – DM]

1. (Architecture) A sculptured ornament, often in the shape of a leaf or flower, at the top of a gable, pinnacle, or similar structure.
2. An ornamental terminating part, as on a post [think of a fence with little toppers on each post – DM] or piece of furniture.

From The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Know the Difference

A flagstaff is carried and displayed indoors. A flagpole is a permanent outdoor structure. On the left is a ball finial (for the Navy and Coast Guard only, see NTP 13(B)) and upper ferrule for a flagstaff. On the right is a ball and truck for flagpole.

Notice the toppers of the staffs and poles. Each of these heads was created for a different reason. Some were made for a chopping motion, some for a thrusting or pulling motion, and others for multiple motions.

Even in battle, some finials were ornamental or specific to the unit. On the civilian side, ornaments have been created for a vast array of organizations.

The Army, Marine Corps, Air and Space Forces Finial

The silver spade (Army spearhead) finial is the ONLY finial authorized for these services for flagstaffs and guidon staffs. It is also the only authorized finial for Navy and Coast Guard guidon staffs. The spade comes in 7″ or 8.5″ lengths with the larger size, the most common for all services. The AF/SF authorizes both. The flat spade finial is a US military staple.

The gold-colored spade is currently not authorized for any display or color guard in any service. The Perfect-Fit version of finials is made specifically to fit on top of the brown staffs that are mainly for civilian static displays. These staffs are not authorized in the US military.

The Finial System. For decades, the finial attachment system for the Navy and Coast guard was a beautiful and ornate system that was rather expensive. Each ornament was solid brass, had a ball just below it, and a flat disk below that with four threaded holes. Those holes matches the flat truck, the disk at the top of the upper ferrule. Each finial was secured in place with the four brass screws and could be changed when necessary. See the photo below that I took as an example of the system used for the US Navy Ceremonial Guard at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.

Now, the system has different ornaments atop an upper ferrule, or the upper ferrule has a threaded opening at the top and the different finials with a threaded shaft at the bottom are then secured into place. Less expensive, but not as majestic as before.

The Navy’s Different Finials

For information on today’s use of finials for the Navy, read here.

The Battle-axe (battle-ax, battle ax, battle axe) also called the Battalion Lance. This finial is used as the standard for all displays and color guards in the US Navy and Coast Guard. This image shows a battle-axe from the 15^th century. This weapon was in the category of Cleaving Weapons that were used on horseback and were from 1 to 5 feet long. This weapon was also used with a long staff or pole for infantry use.

The Flat Truck. For officers below the grade or equivalent grade of Commander in the Navy, and for civil officials for whom honors are prescribed on the occasions of an official visit but are not the equivalent of those officials listed below.

The flat truck used to be a special finial, but now it is just the upper ferrule on its own with the finial removed.

The Star. For officers of the grade or equivalent grade of Commander in the Navy.

The Ball. For officers of the grade or equivalent grade of Captain in the Navy, and for such diplomatic officials as Career Ministers, Consuls, or First Secretary of an Embassy or Legation. The image of the ball finial was shown before in this article.

The Halberd. Not to be confused with the battle-ax, NTP 13(B) states this finial is used for flag officers whose official gun salute is less than 19 guns, and for civil officials whose gun salute is 11 or more but less than 19 guns. Included in this category are such individuals as the Under and Assistant Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; Naval or Military Governors; and flag officers of the Armed Forces other than those of
5-star rank or Service Chiefs. History of the Halberd is here. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Halberd

Spread Eagle. For civilian officials and flag officers whose official gun salute is 19 or more guns. This includes such individuals as the President and Vice President, Secretaries of State, Defense, Army, Navy, Air Force, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, State Governors, and Service Chiefs. Tables of gun salutes of military officers and civil officials are contained in Chapter 10, U.S. Navy Regulations.

Above, you see a selection of different eagle finials. The one on the left was developed for the military, the others are different versions on that theme, and the one on the right was developed for use by civil and civilian teams.

Early Spearheads

Notice the center ridges on the first two. Spearheads were usually long and thin.

The finials used the most during the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars was the flat, silver Army Spearhead or “Spade”. The same type is still used today as referenced earlier.

Today’s Spearhead Versions

Occasionally you will come across a metal finial, like the one on the left, the flat spearhead, but most finials are hollow plastic. They are meant to be affixed to the staff after the flag has been mounted, the staff placed into a floor stand, and the display put in place and left alone.

Specialty Finials

Different countries and US states have finial requirements. Please do your research before carrying a flag.