Informational

1. What Are Those Stripes and Bars?
Overview
Understanding service ranks and recognizing the stripes and bars that represent them.
 Some history of military rank and insignia
 Rank, insignia, and pay grade: What do they mean?
 Insignia: Who wears which ones and what do they represent?
 Junior enlisted personnel
 Non-commissioned officers
 Warrant officers
 Commissioned officers
 Resources
Entering military life for the first time can be both exciting and challenging. While trying
to adapt to the rigors of boot camp, OCS, or the uncertainty of your first assignment,
you must also learn military customs and protocol. Knowing whom to salute is a
necessity, since you will practice this ritual during your entire term of military service. It
begins with a basic understanding of military rank and insignia. If you are married to a
service member, you will also want to know what all those stripes and bars mean. Being
able to understand rank and recognize insignia takes some study, but the following
information can help.
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Some history of military rank and insignia
Long ago, when military groups were first formed throughout the world, rank wasn't
necessary. Service members were simply told something like, "Smith's in charge." As
military groups grew, however, this system obviously became very confusing.
Consequently, the creation of military rank became necessary to recognize who was "in
charge." Today's military rank insignia reflect centuries of military tradition.
In the U.S., George Washington established the practice of wearing insignia in the
Continental Army. While the Army did have military rank, it did not have enough money
for military uniforms. As a result, Washington established the custom of using a knot of
ribbon in service members' hats as an insignia to indicate rank. Current U.S. military
insignia have both British and French roots. For example, the enlisted ranks in all
branches of service primarily use "chevrons" to signify rank. This comes from the
French word for "roof," as a chevron looks much like a small, pointed roof.
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2. Rank, insignia, and pay grade: What do they mean?
While you might think the terms rank, insignia, and pay grade can be used
interchangeably, they each actually have a separate and distinct meaning.
 Rank/rate. The system of organization within the armed forces. Much like a
company has employees, managers, and supervisors, the military has rank or
rate to determine organizational structure. As rank increases, so does
responsibility and compensation. The higher a service member's rank, the greater
responsibility he or she has over personnel, equipment, and assignment.
 Insignia. The various emblems worn by service members to denote rank are
called "insignia." Typically worn on the shoulder or collar, insignia make it easy to
identify whom to salute. Enlisted insignia consist primarily of chevrons (with or
without other detail), while insignia of commissioned officers can be bars, oak
leaves, eagles, or stars. Commissioned officers in the Navy wear their appropriate
pin when in regular uniform, but wear special insignia on their sleeves or epaulets
when wearing dress blues or whites.
 Pay grade. Categories used to equalize pay across the military service branches
are called pay grades. The categories are represented by a letter and a number.
For example, the "O" in O-1 stands for "officer," while the "1" is the position's level
of pay. Enlisted pay grades begin with "E," and warrant officer pay grades begin
with "W."
Since pay grades are equivalent across the service branches, all E-1's, for
example, receive the same compensation. This can get somewhat confusing,
because the service branches use different rank names for each pay grade: an E-
1 in the Army and Marine Corps is called a private; an E-1 in the Air Force is
called an airman basic; and an E-1 in the Navy is called a seaman recruit.
In addition, certain enlisted pay grades have two ranks. For example, in the Army,
a corporal and a specialist are both classified at the pay grade of E-4; however,
the corporal holds a higher rank since she serves in a leadership role.
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Insignia: Who wears which ones and what do they represent?
The ability to quickly recognize insignia is a must in the military. The best way to do this
is to study the insignia charts. (See the resources listed at the end of this article). The
following gives some explanation of the emblems that make up insignia:
 Chevrons. Worn by most enlisted personnel in every military service branch, the
chevron is composed of V-shaped stripes. The use of these insignia can be
traced to feudal days, when knights were awarded chevrons for capturing a castle

3. or other building. This may explain the chevron's "roofed" appearance and French
root of word meaning "roof." In heraldry, the chevron denoted those who were
head of a clan or, "top of the house."
In the U.S. military, the chevron first denoted rank in the early 1800s when cadets
at West Point wore them on their sleeves. Chevrons were later adopted as
insignia for the Army and Marine Corps; however, they were worn "points down"
until their present appearance was approved in 1902.
 Bars. Commissioned officers at pay grade O-1 wear insignia consisting of one
gold bar, while those at pay grade O-2 wear insignia consisting of one silver bar.
Officers at the O-3 pay grade wear an insignia of two silver bars, commonly
referred to as "railroad tracks." Warrant officers wear striped bars. It is unclear
why the bar was selected for officer insignia.
 Oak leaves. Officers at the O-4 and O-5 pay grades wear a gold oak leaf and
silver oak leaf, respectively. The true origin of oak leaf use across the service
branches is a mystery, though it could have been borrowed from the Navy. The
Navy took much of its tradition from the British, and in 1650, King Charles II
escaped his enemies by hiding in an oak tree. When the insignia is the same
specifically with bars and oak leaves the junior rank is gold and the more senior
rank is silver.
 Eagles. Officers at the O-6 pay grade wear a silver eagle. The eagle has been a
popular military symbol since Roman times. In addition, militaries routinely select
insignia designs depicting symbols representative of their country. For example,
the eagle with shield, arrows, and olive leaves was taken from the coat of arms of
the U.S.
 Stars. Officers at the O-7 through O-10 pay grades wear one, two, three, and four
stars, respectively.
 A note about certain officer insignia. A Naval officer wears the insignia of his
respective pay grade bar(s), oak leaf, eagle, or star(s) when wearing the
regular khaki uniform. However, when wearing a dress uniform, he wears a
different insignia on the bottom of his sleeves in dress blues and on epaulets in
dress whites. The warrant officer can wear epaulet insignia, as well.
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Junior enlisted personnel
Enlisted personnel are the backbone of the military. There is a wide range of jobs
available in all branches of the military, and the enlisted service members are those who
perform specific duties and eventually become specialists in their fields. As they rise
through the ranks, they can also fill leadership roles.
 Who are the junior enlisted personnel? The service members in pay grades E-1
through E-4 in the Army and Air Force are considered junior enlisted service

4. members. One exception to this is that in the Army, both the corporal and
specialist are at the E-4 level; however, only the specialist is considered junior
enlisted. The corporal is considered a non-commissioned officer. Junior enlisted
personnel in the Marine Corps and Navy occupy pay grades E-1 through E-3.
 The types of positions held by junior enlisted personnel. Jobs ranging from
computer operators to medical assistants to helicopter mechanics are available to
junior enlisted personnel. They can request specific positions or areas and may or
may not get them. The needs of a service member's military branch, as well as
the number of people already occupying a particular position, can affect whether
or not a service member is granted his or her occupation or area of choice.
 How to recognize junior enlisted personnel. Chevrons with or without added
emblems denote the insignia of most junior enlisted personnel. Naval service
members in pay grades E-2 through E-3, however, wear striped insignia instead
of chevrons. There is no insignia for any branch service member in pay grade E-
1.
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Non-commissioned officers
Non-commissioned officers (NCOs) are specialists in their areas. They can be
craftsmen and/or supervisors and can provide education and training to both enlisted
service members and officers.
 Who are the non-commissioned officers? Enlisted service members in certain pay
grades have special status. Those in grades E-5 through E-9 are considered non-
commissioned officers in the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. A corporal (E-4)
in the Marine Corps and Army is an NCO. In the Navy, service members in
grades E-4 through E-9 are called "petty officers."
 The types of positions held by non-commissioned officers. The NCOs specialize
in specific occupations, much like the junior enlisted personnel. However, they are
more experienced and often provide leadership to others. An NCO could be
compared to the line supervisor in a factory he performs the job, but also serves
as trainer and supervisor. Senior NCOs (E-7 and above) are like the assistant
managers of a company.
 How to recognize non-commissioned officers. Like junior enlisted personnel,
NCOs wear insignia of chevrons with or without added emblems.
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Warrant officers
The warrant officers are highly skilled personnel. Their career track focuses on
advancing in their individual career fields, though they do serve as trainers and
supervisors. Warrant officers typically have some college education, if not an

5. associate's or bachelor's degree. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force. In the
late 1960s, when Congress created the pay grades of E-8 and E-9, the Air Force
eliminated warrant officer positions. Warrant officers outrank all enlisted service
members.
 Who are the warrant officers? Service members in pay grades W-1 through W-5
of the Army and Marine Corps are warrant officers. The Navy's warrant officers
hold pay grades W-2 through W-4. Highly specialized in their occupations,
warrant officers provide valuable talents and expertise to others regarding their
specific technical field. They can also command units and activities, as well as
instruct and advise personnel. Their numbers may be comparably few in the
respective military branches, but warrant officers' responsibilities are great and
selection to the position is competitive. Once selected, these service members
attend a warrant officer training program and enjoy many of the same merits as
their commissioned counterparts.
 The types of positions held by warrant officers. Examples of some warrant officer
occupations are air traffic control technician, information systems technician, and
veterinary services technician.
 How to recognize warrant officers. Warrant officers wear insignia characterized by
striped bars. Army warrant officers wear silver and black bars, while Marine Corps
warrant officers wear either scarlet and gold bars or scarlet and silver bars.
Warrant officers in the Navy wear bars of navy blue and gold or navy blue and
silver. Warrant officers sometimes wear insignia on epaulets, as well.
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Commissioned officers
Because a "commission" is a designation by Congress on the advice of the President,
commissioned officers comprise the highest ranks in the military. These positions carry
supervisory, managerial, and administrative responsibilities. Commissioned officers
outrank all enlisted personnel and warrant officers. Enlisted personnel and warrant
officers must salute all commissioned officers, and commissioned officers must salute
superior commissioned officers.
 Who are the commissioned officers? Military commissioned officers hold the pay
grades of O-1 through O-10. They must possess a bachelor's degree, and they
often pursue a master's degree as well.
 The types of positions held by commissioned officers. The primary role of
commissioned officers is to provide general leadership and management in their
area of responsibility. With the exception of positions such as pilots, doctors,
lawyers, and nurses, most commissioned officers are generalists. Some
commissioned officers are line officers, which means that they can command any

6. type of unit. Some commissioned officers are restricted, or non-line officers, who
will generally command units within their area of expertise.
 How to recognize commissioned officers. Commissioned officers wear insignia
commensurate with their pay grade. These insignia include the bars, oak leaves,
eagles, and stars.
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Resources
Military rank and insignia can seem overwhelming at first glance. But with a little study
and research, it will become second nature to you. These online resources offer more
information about rank and insignia (including insignia charts), as well as other related
issues:
Department of Defense
The Department of Defense provides insignia charts at these links:
www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html
www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html
U.S. Army
www.army.mil
U.S. Marine Corps
www.usmc.mil
U.S. Navy
www.navy.mil
U.S. Air Force
www.af.mil
Your military support services
Each service branch sponsors information and support programs for service members
and their families. You can call or visit any installation Army Community Service Center,
Marine Corps Community Services, Fleet and Family Support Center, or Airman and
Family Readiness Center regardless of your branch affiliation.
If you aren't near an installation, National Guard Family Assistance Centers are
available in every state. The Local Community Resource Finder on the National Guard
Family Program at www.jointservicessupport.org will identify your closest center.
Military OneSource
This free 24-hour service is available to all active duty, Guard, and Reserve members
(regardless of activation status) and their families. Consultants provide information and
make referrals on a wide range of issues, including adjusting to military life. Free face-

7. to-face counseling sessions (and their equivalent by phone or online) are also available.
Call 1-800-342-9647 or go to www.militaryonesource.mil to learn more.
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