This TRAINING BULLETIN will discuss the proper placement for
Rank Insignia on Shirts, Blouses, BDU Shirts and Jackets.
Officers will wear only the insignia prescribed for their grade.
Chaplains (ONLY) are authorized to wear a Gold Cross over their left breast pocket as well as optionally on their headgear instead of the Rank Insignia.
Collar grade insignia will be worn on both sides of the collar of shirts, and jackets or rank epaulets will be worn on each shoulder. When the service "A" uniform is worn by officers, the wear of the rank insignia is required at all times. The collar insignia will be centered between the top and bottom edge of the collar, with the outer edge of the insignia one inch from the front edge of the collar or the epaulets are worn on the shoulder straps as illustrated below.
1. Collar insignia is not required if the jacket or shirt has epaulet (shoulder) straps. In that case, the rank insignia may be pin-on insignia on the straps, or slide-on epaulet rank (shoulder marks).
2. If the Class A jacket IS NOT to be removed at anytime when in uniform, then insignia is not required on both the jacket and the shirt. It would be required only on the jacket.
2b. If the jacket is to be removed, then the insignia, either on the collar, epaulet straps, or slide on epaulet rank on the straps would be required.
Example: If your Class A jacket does not have epaulet straps you would wear pin-on rank on the collar of the jacket. You may also wear slide-on rank on the epaulet straps of the shirt under the jacket so that if you remove the jacket, you will still be in Class B uniform.
(3) Field grade oak leaves will be worn with the stem toward the bottom of the collar and the line from the tip to the stem parallel to the front collar edge.
(4) Company grade insignia will be worn with the long axis of the bars parallel to the front edge of the collar.
(1) All officers will wear their insignia so that it is equidistant from the front and rear edges of the shoulder straps. Colonels and below will position their insignia so that the midpoint of the insignia's outer edge is 3/4 inch from the armhole seam.
(2) General officers' stars will be worn equally spaced between the armhole seam and the shoulder strap button or edge of the collar, whichever is closer. One ray of each star points toward the collar.
(3) Colonels' eagles will be worn with the wings at right angles to the center line of the shoulder strap with the eagle's head toward the collar and facing front.
(4) Field grade oak leaves will be worn with the stem toward the armhole seam.
(5) Company grade bars will be worn with the long axis of the bars at right angles to the center of the shoulder strap.
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