M I L I T E R I U M » Insignia

How the US Army References Ranks and Corresponding Insignia

militerium — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:25:39 +0000

The United States Army comprises one of 7 major branches of the United States military. Within each division of the military, individuals are ranked according to authority, seniority and level of responsibility.

These levels are broken down into 3 main categories for the purpose of easy reference. Personnel within each of these categories will display specific insignia to help further distinguish individuals from one another among rank. The categories are labeled for easy reference and in order of highest in chain of authority to lowest from Commissioned Officers to Warrant Officers and finally, Enlisted Personnel.

When first entering into the military, the entry-level position corresponds to the category for Enlisted Personnel and the individual may be further identified as a Private. Privates wear the military rank insignia of a single stripe, resembling the top portion of a triangle with green borders and a yellow background. As one moves up higher in the chain of command, their ranks correspond with advancement in title and subsequent additions to their original insignia. A private achieves the next position of authority as a Private First Classmen. Along with the new title, the individual is awarded an additional stripe to their original military rank insignia. Specialists, Corporals and a line of Sergeant positions make up the additional ranks within the category of Enlisted Personnel. As one advances through the ranks, an additional stripe is added accordingly.

The category for Warrant Officers is relatively simple to explain in terms of identifying the order of advancement. For instance, entry-level titles for this category start with Warrant Officer and proceed as follows: Chief Warrant Officer 2, 3, 4 and Master Warrant Officer 5. However, unlike the other categories for US Army ranks, warrant officers do not have any known insignias corresponding to their level of authority.

Commissioned Officers stand above Enlisted Personnel and Warrant Officers in the chain of command and authority. Introducing this category of military personnel are Second Lieutenants. A Second Lieutenant within the US Army ranks starts with the military rank insignia of a metal stripe, as opposed to a Private rank’s clothed stripe worn on the should of the uniform. This metal stripe is worn on a different section of their uniform. As an individual advances through the ranks as First Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel and General, variations of the insignia will still represent their rank in metallic form.

If you want to find our more about army ranks and military insignia point your browser to Army Ranks Website.

81st Infantry Division of the United States Army Wore the First Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

militerium — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:50:22 +0000

The first United States Army shoulder sleeve insignia was worn by members of the 81st Infantry Division. This is an important aspect from an insignia collectors viewpoint. This unit trained at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. Being that Camp Jackson was located on Wildcat Creek the wildcat was chosen to represent the divisions insignia in May of 1918. In September of 1918 the division was preparing to disembark to France, as a member of the Inspector General's Department questioned that division. Why were all personnel wearing an insignia with a wildcat on their left sleeve?

The commander of the division explained the meaning of the wildcat insignia and this began the road of approval for shoulder sleeve insignia for the United States Army.

One could say, shoulder sleeve insignia has a 2 fold purpose or meaning. The meaning of shoulder sleeve insignia may be a personal one. To many, it may just be another item of the required uniform, but to some soldiers it is something very different. "A unique insignia embodying a proud, personal sense of participation in his organization, depicting the historic past of which he attaches great pride and honor." Insignia meant, strength, will, pride, a belonging, and with this it became the norm for Military Uniforms worldwide.

Soon, after approval of the wildcat Insignia, from the headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force, other divisions began wearing shoulder sleeve insignia. The insignia patches or badges also caught the publics eye. The shoulder insignia were featured in a number of magazines, including the December 1919 issue of the National Geographic. To ensure that the unique insignia worn by the Army were manufactured authentically, a distinctive insignia painting, and a manufactured drawing were furnished by the commander on a loan basis. These items were then made available to the Insignia manufacturer. The samples were Inspected by Quality Control to ensure they had the correct color, design, and detail. After the samples were approved the commander of the organization would place the order with the approved manufacturer, only. Orders could be continually placed with the approved manufacturer, but if the manufacturer changed, the entire process would have to be repeated.

The wildcat insignia ended up using 7 different colors. Each color represented seven different divisions. Shoulder sleeve insignia usually serve as unit insignia. Unit insignia generally has a short history. Meaning, the size of the Army expands during war, and gets smaller during peace. This causes the Unit Insignia to be created and then discontinued. Modern shoulder sleeve insignia were used during the first World War, inter-war period, and the Second World War where a large number of new insignia designs were implemented.

U.S. Military insignia collectors in over 30 different countries have come to Saunders Insignia for collecting. We have also supplied museums and American unit enactors in several countries with the items they need to advance their programs. We have supplied veterans families, active military individuals, active military units, and have provisioned several movies with the appropriate U.S. Army insignia.

Saunders Insignia has been providing military insignia, law enforcement patches, and custom made insignia for 41 years. Earl Keaton http://SaundersInsignia.com USN reserve four years USAF Technical advisor Korean War

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