Origin of US Rank Insignia

[boricua]

'tis a well-known fact that, except for the general and admiral ranks, the rank insignia of the US do not follow the pattern of elements such as stripes, chevrons and stars being used in combinations of one to three or one to four that is the rule in the other armed forces of the world. How did such an unique system originate?

[boricua]

Correction to the previous post: my question is about the US Army rank insignia from second lieutenant to colonel. I rechecked the US section, and immediately realized that my memory of its rank insignia was faulty, failing to take into account, among other things, the very traditional style of the insignia of sergeants.

[J.T. Broderick]

Especially in the early years, the US often used the eagle in the same way the British used the crown. Oak leaves of course are common in military insignia. The bars are sometimes said to have originated as the strips or loops that held the epaulette on the shoulder, I don't know how accurate that is.

How the insignia system evolved is a long and somewhat convoluted story, but here is a page that may answer some of your questions:
http://www.naval-reference.net/silver_and_gold.html

US Navy officer sleeve stripes, of course, are closer to international "standard," but underwent their own evolution process in the 1800s. There is a summary of the changes here:
http://www.naval-reference.net/uniforms ... _rank.html

best regards,
Justin

[ryanemilia]

Hello,

I am posting this chart to spark discussion and maybe prompt Mr. Boderick to create more graphics . (joking).

I credit him with all these that I have used to make the chart.
Obviously he has a wealth of knowledge about US and British insignia on his website, which I encourage all to visit.

http://www.naval-reference.net/index.html



Ryan M.

[ChrisWI]

Ryan, I must say that you have some excellent drawing skills. Puts my Microsoft Paint skills to shame. Keep up the good work!

[ryanemilia]

Ryan M.

[Brian.G]

http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/armyhome.html

this is a site that explains the development of the US Armed Forces, focusing on the US ARMY