Customer Reviews

Chevrons: Illustrated History and Catalog of U. S. Army Insignia

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I have long had this work and everytime I consult it I am able to find what I am looking for.
Chevrons are strips of cloth worn on the upper sleeves by personnel of the Army, Marines, and Air Force to distinguish the various ranks (paygrades) and duty positions. The seemingly endless variety of them challenges the collector.
In the US services, chevrons are worn only by enlisted men while in many foreign armies they are also worn by officers. They present a variety of collectibility. Before WW I they were made in the same background colors as the uniforms on which they were worn and were colored the same as the branch piping on the dress blue coat, the cap band, and the cord on the campaign hat.
Army jargon also calls them stripes. This work covers only the U.S. Army. Up until partway into the WW I the Army used a variety of specialist marks and other devices worn in combination with the chevrons and often forming the central design in the insignia. In contrast to the US Navy which has a huge variety of marks, the Army ones were usually confined to the branch insignia or such trades and skills such as saddlers and gun pointers.
Army chevrons since WW I have had the same or no devices on the insignia of rank, the indication of special skills being shown by "ground badges" pinned to the chest over the left pocket as contrasted with flight badges.
This book is a must for the serious reference collection. It should be reprinted forthwith.