NAVAIR Weapons Division China Lake -- Susan Read, Public Affairs Office.

Rear Admiral Mark Skinner, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division commander, looked on as CMDCM Terry Byerly and AC3 Kimberley Couture broke free the admiral's personal flag as it was flown for the first time in front of Weapons Division headquarters on Wednesday, November 17, 2004. Rear Admiral Skinner received his first star on Monday and shared the flag-raising ceremony with co-workers and guests from the city of Ridgecrest. The flying of a flag at the masthead to designate the vessel of a fleet commander is more than twice as old as the United States Navy, dating well back into the Middle Ages. In 1857, Congress created the title of “flag officer” and in 1862 finally authorized the first American use of the title “admiral”. According to Sea Flags web source, rear admirals initially flew plain rectangular flags of solid blue, red or white depending on seniority, but in 1865 a new issuance of Navy Regulations introduced the modern system of designating flag officers’ ranks with flags showing the number of stars matching the insignia on their uniforms. Rear Admiral Skinner’s flag is a blue field with one white star in the center.