A Look at Military Insignia on Medals, Service Badges, and Pins
April 25, 2024
Military uniforms are interesting to look at, and when they're covered in medals, badges, pins, and other types of insignia, they can be impressive, too. But to actually understand what you're looking at, you need to learn a bit about the elements of military uniforms and what they mean. A military uniform isn't just a matching outfit: It's a way of indicating each person's position, skills, experiences, and accomplishments.
Vocabulary to Know
Insignia: Military insignia are emblems that indicate a person's rank, branch, and qualifications.
Pay Grade: Pay grades are levels at which all members of a military branch are paid the same. Pay grades consist of a letter and a number and correspond with a person's rank. Pay grades beginning with E are for enlisted military members, those beginning with O are for officers, and pay grades starting with W are for warrant officers.
Rank: A person's level of authority and responsibility in the military is their rank.
Who Wears What
Here are the different types of military insignia:
Bars: Officers at lower pay grades wear bars on their uniform. O-1 personnel wear one gold bar. O-2 staff wear a silver bar, while O-3 personnel have two silver bars. Warrant officers have striped bars.
Chevrons: These V-shaped stripes are on enlisted military members' uniforms.
Eagles: O-6 officers have a silver eagle on their insignia.
Oak Leaves: O-4 officers have a gold oak leaf on their insignia, while O-5 officers wear a silver oak leaf.
Stars: If you're at pay grade O-7 or above, you get to wear one or more stars. O-7 gets one star, O-8 gets two, O-9 gets three, and O-10 gets four stars.
Military Service Badges
Military badges are awarded to recognize a person's achievements, qualifications, or specific role. Some of the most well-known examples of military badges are the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor, but there are many others as well. Each branch of the military awards its own badges. The executive branch of the federal government also awards its own badges, as do the Department of the Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.
- The Purple Heart
- The Medal of Honor
- U.S. Service Medals
- Six Famous Military Medals
- Armed Forces Decorations and Awards
- Military Decorations
- NOAA Corps Uniforms and Awards
History of Military Service Badges
Military service badges are as old as the American military itself. George Washington created the first badges to honor the service of his soldiers, awarding the Badge of Distinction and the Badge of Military Merit during and following the Revolutionary War. The first badges created to honor one specific act or event were awarded to the crew of the USRC Hudson for their heroism during the Spanish-American War; the last such badges were awarded to four Army chaplains who gave up their life vests to save fellow soldiers as their transport ship sank during World War II.
- Washington's Military Badges
- The Badge of Military Merit: The Origins of the Purple Heart
- Revenue Cutter Hudson and the Battle of Cardenas Bay
- The Cardenas Medal of Honor
- The Four Chaplains Medal
- History of the Four Chaplains
Use of Military Service Badges
Wearing military service badges shows that the wearer has earned a high honor for their service, and as such, it is forbidden for anyone other than the recipient to wear one. Some people do use these symbols to show their pride in a family member or friend, but this is not allowed according to military guidelines. If you have earned a military service badge, however, you are allowed to wear it on civilian clothing after you leave the service.
- Wearing of Military Awards With Civilian Clothes
- Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Uniforms and Insignia
What Military Badges Signify
Badges are given to members of the military to signify that they have served during a particular conflict or campaign or have been recognized for their heroism in either war or peacetime. Some badges are given to entire units, while others are awarded to individuals.
- Army Medals: How to Get Them and What They Mean
- Military Awards
- Military Decorations by Type
- Every Medal and Ribbon the U.S. Military Awards
Military Pins
Military pins make up a broader category that includes service badges as well as the wide variety of pins that can be earned through military training and service. Military uniforms may include insignia pins denoting membership in a specific group, like infantry or artillery officers; pins for their rank and pay grade; badges awarded for being in combat; and skill badges, like those for marksmanship, aviators, or parachutists.
- The Army Aviation Badge
- The Mark of an Eagle: Aviation Badges
- U.S. Army Parachute Badge
- Marksman Weapons Qualification Badge
- Custom Pins