The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1905-08-01
INSIcNAOF SOLDIERS
MARKS OF RANK PRESCRIBED
BY NEW REGULATIONS.
They Designate at Glance the Stand
ing and Branch Of Military Service
to Which the Men Belong.

Although the general order prescrib-
Ing the new uniform for the soldiers of
the United States regular army was is
sued year ago last July and went into
effect on the first of the year, the men
one sees about the streets are still clad
In the traditional blue. But that is be-
cause there is still supply Of such
cloth on hand and the government eco
nomicf ~ determined to use 1t up, says
the New York Commercial Advertiser.
The enlisted men do not get new suits
until their old ones are worn out.
In some months time we will no
longer see the lads in arm. blue. They
will war the blue only on dress occa-
sions; on service they will wear olive
drab end on fatigue duty they will wear
brown cotton duck. On some occasions
in tropical service they will wear uni
form Ct write cotton duck.
The pcs on the trousers Of the nop-
commi led officers are OF the follow
ing colors: Cavalry, yellow; artillery,
scarlet; infantry, light blue; engineers.
scarlet piped with white; ordnance,
black r'ped with scarlet; post quarter
master scrgeants, buff; the hospital
corps, nl7roon piped with white; the
signal corpT, grange. Sergeents' stripes
are one inch wide. A corporal wears
stripe half an inch wide. Musicians wear
two stripes half an inch wide.
Thus by the color one can tell the arm
of the service in which the enlisted man
serves and the stripe shows his rank.
BY the dress cap one can tell at glance
the regiment and the eomppDy Of the en-
listed man, also his arm Thus the cav
alryman wears crossed sabers, the ar
tilleryman crossed cannon. the Infantry
man crossed rifles. the engineer rastle.
Ordnance men wear the she and flame,
post commlssary sergeants cresc ent of
white metal. electrician sergeants q
symbol resembling forked lightning,
hospital corps men caduceus, which is
the snake-entwined rod that Mercury
carried The men Of the signal corps
wear two crossed flags and torch.
Band musicians wear Tyre OF white
metal. while field musicians OF infantry
and the engineers and trumpeters of
cavalry wear bugle.
There are many kinds of sergeants
and many ranks. The chevrons on the
sleeves tell what the bearer is. The
regimental sergeant major, for instance,
vrraa ha nd ~
bars. The regimental quartermaster
sergeant also has three bars. but they
are Joined by three straight bars. The
regimental commissary sergeant has the
same insignia with crescent In the
angle. Squadron or battalion sergeant
majors have three bars with an arc of
two bars. The chief musician wears a
bugle in his chevron, so does the chief
trumpeter. The drum major wears two
embroidered crossed batons In the ord
nance department. the shell and fame
are borne The hospital corps and the
signal corps also bear the insignia of
their corps. First-class privates Of en-
gineers wear castle OF red cloth piped
with whites
The chevrons OF the sergeants OF the
line all have three bars. The first SER
geant bearsa lozenge also, quarter
master sergeant tie. Of one bar, a color
sergeant a star, stable sergeant OF field
artillery horses head. A corporal
wears two bars and a lance corporal one
bar.
A cook wears on his arm tho insignia
of cooks cap, farrier bears horse
shoe, saddler q saddler's knife and a
mechanic or artificer two crossed ham
mers. A first-class gunner wears an In
sigma of scarlet cloth representing a
cannon proiectile.
Besides these cheyrons of rank there
are chevrors for service and for service
In war. The first is a diagonal halfchev-
ron OF cloth OF the color of the mana
corps. For service in war the men wear
a diagonal half chevron of white cloth
piped with the color Of the arm OF serv-
ice in which the man won the distinc-
tion. Men may wear as many of these
chevrons as they earn.
The general order which prescribet
the chance Of uniform goes into the mi
nutest de- lis regarding the dress OF tht
officers srd men OF the United States
army. When certain dress must ant
must not be worn is laid down in the reg
ulations. The very braids on ths
swords hilts are subject to rules of po
sition and tying.