10-13 OFFICER AND ENLISTED INSIGNIA Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you will be able to— Identify rating insignia to include service stripes, paygrade insignia of U.S. armed forces enlisted personnel, grade insignia and corps devices of naval officers, and special insignia. In the enlisted branch of the Navy, a field of work or an occupation is called a rating. Levels within the rating are called   rates. In the case of a Boatswain’s Mate second class (BM2), for example, Boatswain’s Mate is the rating and second class is the rate. In other words, rating is the job or occupation, while rate is the paygrade of the person. As  a  newcomer  without  previous  military experience, you probably entered the service as a recruit in paygrade E-1. This is the basic paygrade in the armed forces  grading  structure.  From  the  recruit  rate,  you began to train in one of the six broad occupational groups. Your occupational group is identified by a group rate mark, which is worn on the left sleeve of jumpers and white summer shirts. Group rate marks are shown in figure 10-7. Personnel in paygrades E-1, E-2, and E-3 who have qualified in a particular rating will wear the specialty mark of that rating. This is called a  striker mark. The striker mark is worn immediately above the group rate mark. If you were a qualified striker and in paygrade E-1, you would wear the striker mark, even though you wouldn’t wear the group rate mark. After  advancing  to  Seaman,  Fireman,  Airman, Constructionman, Hospitalman, or Dentalman, you’ll want to qualify for the lowest petty officer rate—petty officer third class. The rating you are trying for will depend on your personal qualifications and desires. At this time, you will enter the occupational field that you will normally follow for the rest of your Navy career. Subject to standard instructions, changes from one field to  another  are  allowed  quite  freely  in  the  lower paygrades before a person has been intensively trained in one particular field. This lets you have enough time to find the choice of work you want in the Navy. However, once you have advanced to a senior petty officer level, changes to another field are seldom permitted. As mentioned before, every enlisted person in the Navy has a rate. You must be able to identify a person’s rate. To enable you to do this, every enlisted person in the Navy (with the exception of E-1) is required to wear an insignia indicating rate on the left arm of the service uniform. This is usually called a rating badge. Figures 10-8  through  10-10B  identifies  all  enlisted  rating insignia. SERVICE STRIPES Service stripes (called  hash marks) indicate length of service. One stripe is worn on the left sleeve of jumpers for each full 4 years of active or Reserve service in any of the armed forces, or any combination thereof, such as 2 years in the Army and 2 years in the Navy. Scarlet hash marks and rating badges are worn on blue uniforms; blue hash marks on white uniforms. Gold rating badges and service stripes are worn when good conduct in the naval service totals 12 years. This 12 years may be active or drilling reserve time in the  Navy,  Navy  Reserve,  Marine  Corps,  or  Marine Corps Reserve. For more information about authority to wear gold rating badges and service stripes, refer to the U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations, NAVPERS 15665. RATE INSIGNIA OF THE U.S. NAVY AND OTHER U.S. ARMED FORCES ENLISTED PERSONNEL Look at figure 10-11, which shows the rate insignia of all the U.S. armed forces enlisted personnel. The most senior enlisted person in the U.S. Navy is the master chief petty officer of the Navy (MCPON). (NOTE: The senior enlisted insignia for the other armed services are shown directly under the MCPON in fig. 10-11.) The rating insignia of the MCPON is similar to that of all other master chief petty officers, except that it has three gold stars in line above the eagle and a gold star in the space between the eagle and the upper chevron that replaces the specialty mark. Major commands have a Command Master Chief Petty Officer (CM/C). The CM/C insignia differs from the MCPON. There are two silver stars above the eagle, and there is a silver star that replaces the specialty mark. Student Notes: