United States Coast Guard enlisted rate insignia These charts represents the United States Coast Guard enlisted rate insignia . Rates are used to describe an enlisted sailor ' s pay - grade . Rates aren ' t to be confused with " ratings " , which describe the Coast Guards enlisted occupations . ( The rating symbol of crossed anchors depicted in the graphics below are for a boatswain ' s mate ) . E - 1 to E - 3 . Junior enlisted personnel are broken up into five definable groups with colored insignia stripes designating with which group they belong . A speciality mark may be worn above the rank insignia , which denotes training in a particular field : either as an apprentice ( one that is in search of a rating to join ) , or as a designated striker ( one that has found a rating but is not yet a petty officer ) . The serviceperson is addressed by his group designation , if known ( i . e . Fireman Jones , Airman Apprentice Smith ) ; by the generic appellation ' seaman ; ' or by her striker designation ( SNBM Watson , FNMK Johnson ) . E - 4 to E - 6 . E - 4 to E - 6 are considered to be non - commissioned officer s ( NCOs ) , and are specifically called petty officers in the Coast Guard . Their sleeve insignia is a perched eagle with spread wings ( also referred to as a ' crow ' ) atop a rating mark ( a rating mark , or ' rate ' is a symbol denoting their job category , similar to U . S . Army and U . S . Marines ' MOS ) , with red chevron ( s ) denoting their relative rank below . The Coast Guard does not follow the Navy practice of awarding gold chevrons for twelve years good conduct ; rather , all Petty Officer rank chevrons and service hash marks are red , while gold is reserved for Chief Petty Officers . Onboard ships , the First Class Petty Officers become members of the First Class Mess which serves as a recognition of their status at the top of the junior enlisted ranks . This manifests itself on small ships as a few reserved tables in the galley , but may be a separate seating area or space on board a large ship . The food is the same as that in the galley from which the other junior ranks eat . It also is a precursor to the Chief ' s mess . All ranks from E - 4 on also have the ability to perform a federal arrest while on duty . E - 7 to E - 9 . E - 7 to E - 9 are still considered NCOs , but are considered a separate community within the Coast Guard , much like the U . S . Navy . They have separate berthing and dining facilities ( where feasible ) . They serve as the day to day leaders and managers of the enlisted workforce , and routinely serve in command cadre positions . Their dress blue insignia consists of a perched eagle with spread wings atop a rating mark , with three gold chevrons and one ' rocker ' below ; inverted five - point stars above the crow denote the rank of Senior Chief ( one star ) or Master Chief ( two stars ) . However , all other uniforms use the fouled anchor device to denote rank . It consists of a fouled anchor with the Coast Guard Shield ( in silver ) superimposed , with stars above the anchor to indicate higher paygrades , similar to the dress blue insignia . The proper form of address to a Chief Petty Officer is simply " Chief " . In the US Coast Guard , the Chief is specifically tasked in writing with the duty of training Junior Officers ( Ensign , Lieutenant ( j . g . ) , Lieutenant , and Lieutenant Commander ) . This is one of the major differences between a Chief in the Coast Guard and his counterparts in the Army , Marine Corps , and Air Force . Command Master Chief . Upon obtaining Master Chief Petty Officer , the servicemember may choose to further his career by becoming a Command Master Chief ( CMC ) . These personnel are considered to be the senior - most enlisted servicemember within their command , and are the special assistant to the Commanding Officer in all matter pertaining to the health , welfare , job satisfaction , morale , utilization , advancement , and training of the command ' s enlisted personnel . Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force wears the same rating badge as the Command Master Chief , except that two stars and shield are gold . Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard . The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard ( MCPOCG ) is the senior enlisted person in the Coast Guard . The MCPOCG serves as the senior enlisted leader of the Coast Guard , and as an advisor to the Commandant of the Coast Guard in matters dealing with enlisted personnel and their families . The MCPOCG is also an advisor to the many boards dealing with enlisted personnel issues ; may be called upon to testify on enlisted personnel issues before Congress ; and maintains a liaison with enlisted spouse organizations .