# Flagpoles

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpoles/92293>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 8, 2001, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpoles/92293 "2001-11-08T22:13:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kertang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/85e7bf/32.png) [@kertang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kertang)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpoles/92293/1 "2001-11-08T22:13:35Z")

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My friend who was in the military has been trying to convince me that in every U.S.flagpole truck there is a match, and a bullet. He says the match is to burn the flag and the bullet is to kill yourself as you don’t want the enemy to take either the flag or yourself alive. This sounds a lot like military urban legend. I am trying to see if there is any truth behind his claims. Can anyone offer their insight?

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**Author:** ![45ACP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/e5b9ba/32.png) [@45ACP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/45ACP)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flagpoles/92293/2 "2001-11-08T22:49:53Z")

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Did a search of this forum archive and got this  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=90570](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=90570)  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=67660](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=67660)

Just a (particularly illogical) bit of folklore.