Army Uniform Marks: Right Sleeve Significance

The right sleeve marks on an army uniform coat can indicate a variety of achievements and honours. The most common is the service stripe, also known as a 'hash mark', which denotes the length of service. In the US Army, each stripe represents three years of service, and they are worn on the lower part of the sleeve. The US Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard award a stripe for every four years of service. Service stripes are worn only by enlisted personnel and vary in size and colour.

Service stripes indicate length of service and are worn by enlisted personnel only

Service stripes, commonly known as hash marks, are worn by enlisted personnel in the United States Army to indicate length of service. They are diagonal stripes, embroidered or made of gold-coloured rayon or goldenlite rayon or nylon braid, worn on the lower part of the sleeve of a uniform. Each stripe represents three years of service.

The stripes are worn on the outside of the left sleeve, 4 inches from the bottom, at a 45-degree angle. If a soldier has served multiple periods of three years, additional stripes are sewn parallel to and 1/16 of an inch above the previous stripe. The number of stripes ordered come attached together as one large patch for simple application to the uniform coat.

The United States Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard authorise one stripe for each four-year period of duty. The Air Force is the only branch of the US military that does not authorise service stripes.

The concept of service stripes in the US military dates back to 1782, when George Washington ordered that enlisted men who had served for three years "with bravery, fidelity and good conduct" should wear "a narrow piece of white cloth, of angular form" on the left sleeve of the uniform coat.

Service stripes are worn on the left sleeve in the US Army

In the US Army, service stripes are worn on the left sleeve of a uniform to denote length of service. They are diagonal embroidered stripes that vary in size and colour. The US Army authorises one stripe for each three-year period of service, whereas the US Marine Corps, US Navy, and US Coast Guard authorise one stripe for each four-year period of duty.

Service stripes are worn by enlisted personnel only and are sewn onto the outside of the left sleeve, 4 inches from the bottom of the sleeve at a 45-degree angle. Additional service stripes are sewn parallel to and 1/16 of an inch above the stripe below. They are gold-coloured rayon or a goldenlite rayon or nylon braid, 3/16 of an inch wide and 1-5/16 inches long.

The concept of a service stripe dates back to 1782 when, during the American Revolution, George Washington ordered that enlisted men who had served for three years "with bravery, fidelity and good conduct" should wear "a narrow piece of white cloth, of angular form" on the left sleeve of the uniform coat. In the US Army, sleeve stripes denoted a successful completion of a standard enlistment. They were the same colour as the enlisted rank stripes and were "half-chevrons" (angled strips of cloth).

Service stripes are only worn on formal uniforms and are not seen on work uniforms.

The US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard award a service stripe for every four years of service

A service stripe, also known as a hash mark, is a decoration of the United States military presented to enlisted members to denote length of service. These are worn on the lower part of the sleeve of a uniform. In the case of the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, a service stripe is awarded for every four years of service. This is in contrast to the US Army, which authorises one stripe for every three years of service.

Service stripes are worn by enlisted personnel only and are reserved for formal uniforms, not being seen on work uniforms. They are embroidered diagonal stripes and vary in size and colour. For example, US Navy service stripes come in red, gold and blue. They are 7 inches long and three-eighths of an inch wide for male chief petty officers. Male sailors from rates seaman recruit to petty officer first class wear service stripes 5.25 inches long and three-eighths of an inch wide. Female navy sailors wear service stripes 5.25 inches long and a quarter of an inch wide.

The US Navy authorises gold service stripes for sailors with over twelve years of cumulative service. Until June 2019, this service had to be free of disciplinary action. If a disciplinary infraction occurred during this period, the sailor was not denied a service stripe but was instead authorised the standard red stripe design.

The US Coast Guard also authorises gold and red service stripes, but the colour does not depend on time in service. Instead, it depends on rank. Junior enlisted personnel (paygrades E-1 to E-6) wear red service stripes, while chief petty officers (paygrades E-7 to E-9) wear gold service stripes.

Service stripes are sewn on the outside of the left sleeve at a 45-degree angle

Service stripes, also known as hash marks, are worn on the left sleeve of US Army uniforms to denote length of service. Each stripe represents three years of honourable service. They are worn by all enlisted personnel and are sewn onto the outside bottom half of the left sleeve at a 45-degree angle, 4 inches from the bottom of the sleeve. The lower end of the stripe is towards the inside seam of the sleeve. Additional service stripes are sewn parallel to and 1/16 of an inch above the previous stripe.

The stripes are gold-coloured rayon or goldenlite rayon or nylon braid. They are 3/16 of an inch wide and 1-5/16 inches long. The number of stripes ordered come attached together as one large patch for simple application directly to the Army Service Uniform coat.

The US Army Service Uniform (Dress Blue) Service Stripes are gold-coloured rayon or a goldenlite rayon or nylon braid. They are 3/16 of an inch wide and 1-5/16 inches long. The Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) Service Stripes are a smaller version of the Dress Blue stripes. They are 5/32 of an inch wide and 1-1/4 inches long. The small stripes are worn on the Army green uniform with small rank insignia.

The service stripe is an embroidered diagonal stripe worn on the sleeve(s) of some military and paramilitary uniforms. In the United States, the concept of a service stripe dates back to 1782 when, during the American Revolution, George Washington ordered that enlisted men who had served for three years "with bravery, fidelity and good conduct" should wear "a narrow piece of white cloth, of angular form" on the left sleeve of the uniform coat.

Service stripes are gold-coloured rayon or goldenlite rayon/nylon braid

Service stripes, also known as hash marks, are worn by enlisted soldiers on their Army blue and white dress, mess, and evening mess uniforms. They are gold-coloured rayon or goldenlite rayon/nylon braid, 1/2 inch wide, and of variable length. The stripes are worn on the outside bottom half of both sleeves, sewn at a 30-degree angle, with the lower end inserted in the front inside seam, 1/4 inch above the cuff braid. Each stripe denotes three years of service, with an additional stripe added above and parallel to the first stripe for each additional three-year period. There is no limit to the number of stripes that can be worn.

The service stripes are worn with large or small rank insignia. Large service stripes are 3/16 of an inch wide and 1 5/16 inches long, on an Army green background with a 3/32 inch border. Small service stripes are 5/32 of an inch wide and 1 1/4 inches long, on an Army green background with a 5/64 inch border. The small service stripes are worn with small rank insignia.

The colour of the service stripes holds significance. Gold service stripes are typically awarded for longer periods of service or higher ranks. For example, in the U.S. Navy, gold service stripes are authorised for sailors with over twelve cumulative years of service. In the U.S. Coast Guard, gold stripes are worn by chief petty officers, while junior enlisted personnel wear red stripes.

Service stripes are a tradition that dates back to the American Revolution. In 1782, George Washington ordered that enlisted men who had served for three years "with bravery, fidelity and good conduct" should wear "a narrow piece of white cloth, of angular form" on their uniform sleeves. The concept of service stripes was also used in France, where soldiers were awarded "Seniority Braid" for seven years of enlistment during the ancien régime era.

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