California Military
Departmental Flag and Coast of Arms
The California Military
Departmental Flag features the department's coat of arms. The
design of the coat of arms and the departmental flag was approved
by the Adjutant General of California in 2013
Crest
The crest of the coat
of arms is that of the California National Guard that was approved
by the Office of the Quartermaster General of the United States
Army on 13 January 1926. The Grizzly Bear, representing strength
is from the flag of California that was designed by an unknown
person sometime between 1875 and 1899 and chosen as the emblem
of the republic in 1846. The red represents courage . The golden
rays symbolize California's nickname of the Golden State in referee
to the discovery of gold in 1848. Here is the original artwork:
Shield
The shield represents
the five components of the California Military Department as
follows:
The Basic Shield: The blue shield with the gold and
red diagonal stripe is taken from the beret flash of the California
State Military Reserve. The colors Blue and Gold are the
colors of the State of California while Red and Gold being the
national colors of Kingdom of Spain represents the state's colonial
military heritage.
The M-1905 Bayonet : Refers to the fighting spirit
and readiness to engage the enemy in close combat combat with
the bayonet. Used by the California National Guard in World War
I and World War II, this represents the California Army National
Guard.
Jupitor's Thunderbolt: The thunderbolt portrays striking power through
the medium of air. Taken from the coat of arms of the United
States Air Force and represents the California Air National
Guard.
Poseidon's Trident: Weapon of the Greek god of the seas, the trident
represents the California Naval Militia.
Torch of Knowledge: Represents the California Cadet Corps as
well as other youth programs.
