Army uniform - stripes on forearm

[Race Bannon]

On a US Army uniform, what do the stripes on the forearm represent? I'm pretty sure it has to do with serving in a combat zone. What does each stripe represent? Is there any limit to the number a soldier can get? Is there an offical name for these stripes?

I just took my kid to a Jr. ROTC ball, and saw a 1st sergeant in dress blues with both sleves covered in stripes up to the elbow.

[friedo]

Stripes on the arm are an indication of an enlisted person's rank. Here is a list of the enlisted insignia for each branch. If the person in question had a ton of stripes up and down, he was probably Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major.

[Loach]

Originally Posted by friedo

Stripes on the arm are an indication of an enlisted person's rank. Here is a list of the enlisted insignia for each branch. If the person in question had a ton of stripes up and down, he was probably Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major.

He means the service stripes on the bottom sleeve of the green class A uniform. On the dress blue uniform the service stripe goes all around each sleeve. There are no combat hash marks on the dress blue uniform. Each stripe is for 3 years service. This is for the enlisted uniform only.

[Loach]

Originally Posted by friedo

Stripes on the arm are an indication of an enlisted person's rank. Here is a list of the enlisted insignia for each branch. If the person in question had a ton of stripes up and down, he was probably Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major.

He means the service stripes on the bottom sleeve of the green class A uniform. On the dress blue uniform the service stripe goes all around each sleeve. There are no combat hash marks on the dress blue uniform. Each stripe is for 3 years service. This is for the enlisted uniform only.

[Loach]

My answer stands but I reread the OP and noticed he meant only the dress blue uniform. As I said on that one each stripe on the sleeve is for 3 years service. The only limit is for manditory retirement age (60). Generally you don't see any more than ten which would put it up to the elbow. Officers don't wear servic stripes.

[SSG Schwartz]

Originally Posted by Loach

My answer stands but I reread the OP and noticed he meant only the dress blue uniform. As I said on that one each stripe on the sleeve is for 3 years service. The only limit is for manditory retirement age (60). Generally you don't see any more than ten which would put it up to the elbow. Officers don't wear servic stripes.

There is no manditory retirement age in the US Army. There are Retention Control Points (RCP's). A person cannot remain in the Army beyond an RCP without achieving a higher rank, at which time there is a new RCP. An Army soldier can retire after 20 years of Active Duty. Guard and Reserve can retire after 20 also, but cannot draw retirement until he/she reaches 60 years of age. National Guard and reserve can generally serve until that time. I am not terribly clear about the RCP's for them however.

Combat stripes, or hash marks are earned for every six calendar months spent in a combat zone.

Sgt Schwartz

[Loach]

Originally Posted by Sgt Schwartz

There is no manditory retirement age in the US Army. There are Retention Control Points (RCP's). A person cannot remain in the Army beyond an RCP without achieving a higher rank, at which time there is a new RCP. An Army soldier can retire after 20 years of Active Duty. Guard and Reserve can retire after 20 also, but cannot draw retirement until he/she reaches 60 years of age. National Guard and reserve can generally serve until that time. I am not terribly clear about the RCP's for them however.

Combat stripes, or hash marks are earned for every six calendar months spent in a combat zone.

Sgt Schwartz

That is incorrect. We have had several soldiers reach 60 years old without having 20 years in. Viet Nam vets who had large breaks in service before deciding to join the guard. They had to get waivers from National Guard Bureau to go past the manditory retirement age of 60. It's only waiverable until age 62 if you can make your 20 by then. If not no waiver. We also had an E7 who was going to reach 60 during our deployment. He needed a flag level waiver to deploy. 60 is the manditory retirement age. This does not generally come up in active duty because who would stay in past 30 years? No higher retirement so there is no incentive. Like you said no retirement pay for the guard until 60 but retirement points add up until the day you retire which bumps up the amount of retirement pay.

[friedo]

Originally Posted by Loach

He means the service stripes...

Oh, those stripes. OK, then.

[cerberus]

The proper term for the "rank stripes" on the upper portion of the uniform sleeves are chevrons.

The stripes near the bottom of the sleeves are duration-of-service stripes.

[Reindeer]

I believe the slang term for these are called hatch marks, but that might just be for us Marines.

[Amp]

I don't think he is talking about rank. He is talking about the service stripes. You get one for every three years of active military service.

[Amp]

Damnit Loach.

[Loach]

Originally Posted by Amp

Damnit Loach.

You're welcome

[Loach]

The diagonal stripes on the left sleeve are for every 3 years of service. The horizontal stripes on the right sleeve are for each 6 months in a combat zone.

[cerberus]

d'OH1

overseas srvice stripes, USA

Yes, "Three Up/Three Down" in the US Army is E-8/E-9: Master Sergeant, Sergeant Major. "First Sergeant" can happen at E-7 or E-8. Look for a losenge(little diamond) in between the pointy things on top and the round arcs on bottom. Though I'm not sure that they've had First Sergeants at E-7 for a loooooooong time.

Yes, USMC has seven at their Sergeant-Major rank, and E9 could also be Master Gunnery Sergeant. linky linky

As for the Air Force their highest enlisted grade, E-9, has three-up, five-down. This has been the case since about 1992 or so. Also, USAF used to have sergeants at E-4, but now the earliest NCO grade is at E-5, and is called staff sergeant, which corresponds to Army staff sergeant.

This site linky linky suggests that the chevrons and arcs are the individual components of the grade insiginia, and not a collective term.

[Hostile Dialect]

Originally Posted by cerberus

As for the Air Force their highest enlisted grade, E-9, has three-up, five-down. This has been the case since about 1992 or so. Also, USAF used to have sergeants at E-4, but now the earliest NCO grade is at E-5, and is called staff sergeant, which corresponds to Army staff sergeant.

I'm 98.7% positive that Staff Sgt in the Army is not E-5.

[cerberus]

I meant to type sergeant...

Army Sergeant Major @ E-9 = AF Chief Master Sergeant
Army Master Sergeant/First Sergeant @ E-8 = AF Senior Master Sergeant
Army Sergeant 1st Class @ E-7 = AF Master Sergeant
Army Staff Sergeant @ E-6 = AF Technical Sergeant
Army Sergeant @ E-5 = AF Staff Sergeant
Army Corporal/Specialist @ E-4 = AF Senior Airman

[Raguleader]

Originally Posted by cerberus

As for the Air Force their highest enlisted grade, E-9, has three-up, five-down. This has been the case since about 1992 or so. Also, USAF used to have sergeants at E-4, but now the earliest NCO grade is at E-5, and is called staff sergeant, which corresponds to Army staff sergeant.

I love that the Air Force has three different ranks listed under "First Sergeant"

Would the First Sergeant just be the seniormost sergeant in any given unit, or what?

[Airman Doors, USAF]

Originally Posted by Raguleader

I love that the Air Force has three different ranks listed under "First Sergeant"

Would the First Sergeant just be the seniormost sergeant in any given unit, or what?

The First Sergeant is a career field that limits advancement based upon how many people you're dealing with. A Chief First Sergeant has a much greater number of people to deal with than a Master First Sergeant.

[JRDelirious]

Originally Posted by Airman Doors, USAF

The First Sergeant is a career field that limits advancement based upon how many people you're dealing with. A Chief First Sergeant has a much greater number of people to deal with than a Master First Sergeant.

And this bears mentioning, how "First Sergeant" works is different each of the services.

According to http://usmilitary.about.com/od/these...stsergeant.htm , and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sergeant , in the USAF and US Marines, First Sergeant represents a specific specialty and once trained for it you can be assigned to be do it at any unit. In the US Army it is the a "command" position at company-level E8, with extra quals on top of the "staff" position of MSG but the person retains their primary MOS, and is assigned to the job at a unit of their own branch (infantry, av, medical, engineer, etc.). Army 1SGs can be selected laterally from among E8s or at the E7-E8 promotion, and (I have observed, at least in Reserves) can move laterally between 1SG and MSG depending on posting; Marine 1SGs are selected at the E7-E8 promotion point and it's a permanent career track; Air Force 1SGs can be selected laterally or at the promotion point and since 2002 serve for specific, renewable terms with the choice to return to their original field at re-upping.