Alot of people don't know what the service pins mean, either. Well, non-military families anyway. Too many times to count, I've been asked what my pin is for. A banner or a pin with a white window and a blue star indicates the person has an immediate family member deployed. It is also known as the star in the window. (some have up to 4 stars, one for each family member deployed)
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...nity_thumb.jpg
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...apel_thumb.jpg
A gold star indicates that the soldier was killed. Thankfully, I don't have a need for one of those.