Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-26
WHAT OFFICERS
INSIGNIA MEANS
Puzzled as to Whether He's
Corpoal or Colonel? This
Might Help

Unless one knows the meaning of
the various colors, cords and other
insignias of rank, the devices on
sleeves and collar might be bit con-
fusing. So, in order that you don't
Intentionally address a sergeant as
colonel or a major as corporal, the
badges of offices that will be most
commonly seen during these days of
the mobilization at Mt. Gretna are
given below. The same insignias ap-
ply in the regular service.
All the troops will be garbed in
olive drab and the sleeve insignias of
roncommissioned officers are worked
III in buff; the officers collar insignias
are in gun metal, while the shoulder
devices are in silver.
The Officers insignia
The hat cords may be a guide as to
what branches of service the wearer
belongs. The infantry wore a blue
| cord about their campaign hats; the
cavalry orange yellow; the artillery
red; the engineers dark red, and the
hospital or medical corps, green.
Officers all wear a twisted black and
/
their hats. incidentally, the officers
wear only their automatics and no
sabers A single band of brown braid
is worn on the sleeve of all the Off
GERS up to captain.
| Collar insignias are as follows:
Crossed rifles infantry; crossed sabers,
cavalry; crossed cannon, artillery;
crossed cannon with shell in center,
coast artillery; adjutant generals de-
partment, flag shield; general staff,
star and coat-of-arms; aid-de-camp,
shield surmounted by eagle; quarter
master generals department, Wheel
crossed key and saber, surmounted by
spread eagle.
Officers shoulder insignias are:
No shoulder bar, single arm band
and officers hat cord, second lieuten-
ant; single silver bar first lieutenant;
two silver bars, captain; gold oak leaf,
major; silver oak leaf lieutenant col
onel; silver eagle, colonel; single
silver star, brigadier general; two sill
Yer stars, major general.
Now for the sleeve markings of the
noncommissoned officers: Company,
troop or battery only-Chevrons, two
stripes, corporal three stripes, SER
geant; three stripes with diamond in
crutch, first or top" sergeant; single
bar across the chevrons, quartermas-
! ter.
insignias as follows A leather-cutt
means "saddler'; horseshoe, black
smith" wheel, wagner" sergeants
chevrons with curved bar connecting
crutch and trumpet in center, chief
trUmpeter; sergeant's chevrons with
| trumpet in crutch, principal musician;
trumpet only, bugler.
| With the exception of the offices
that pertain to the handling of the
| horses the infantry special insignias
| are practically the same. The color
I sergeant's device for instance is alike
! in each branch. This is a sergeant S
ohevrons with a star in the crutch.
The battalion and regimental non-
! commissioned star lnslgnias are a
little more puzzling to the layman
Tho quartermaster sergeant's chevrons
for battalion and regiment are pre-
cisely the same as in the company
organization except that there are two
bars connecting the crutches of the
chevrons for the battalion officer and
three for the regimental. The squad
ron or battalion sergeant-major wears
a sergeant's chevrons with the crutches
spanned by inverted double stripes
the regimental sergeant majors in
sigma is the same except that three
curved stripes connect the crutches
I A regimental commissary sergeant
wears a sergeant's chevrons, with a
crescent in the crutch and three
/ straight bars below.