CHEVRONS. Badges or insignia of rank or service, consisting of stripes meeting at an angle, and worn on the sleeve of the coat by non-commissioned officers and men. In the United States Army, such badges of rank are worn by all non-commissioned officers, and are of cloth corresponding in colors and pipings to the pat terns laid down for stripes on trousers. (SeeUNI FORMS, :1IILITARY.) The chevrons are worn with the points up. though previous to 1902 they were worn with the points down. except by the cadet officers of the States Military Academy and the non-commissioned officers of the United States Marine Corps. Chevrons worn by non-commissioned officers of the line, accord ing to their rank, are as follows, those upon the overcoat below the elbow, midway between the elbow and the end of the sleeve: those for the other coats being worn above the elbow: Regimental set-giant-major, three bars and an arc of three bars: regimental quartermaster sergeant, three bars and a tie of three bars: regimental commissary sergeant, three bars and a tie of three ba rs. having a crescent (points front) three-quarters of an inch below the inner :Ingle of the chevron: squadron or battalion sergeant-major, three liars and an are of two bars: chief mnsirian, three bars and an are of two bars. with a bugle in the centre: chief trumpeter, three bars and an arc of one bar. ,vith a bugle in the centre: principal Musician three bars and a bugle : drum-major. three bars and two embroidered cross-batons: first sergeant, three bars and a lozenge: troop, battery. or company quartermaster-se r if I ants. three bars and a tie of one bar: sei-gcant, three bars: color-scrgeant, three bars and a star: corporal, two bars: lance corporal, one bar: stable sergeant. field artillery, three bars and a horse': head. Post permanent staff, engineer. hospital. ordnance, and signal corps non-commissioned officers wear chevrons. in wh-ich the stripes are accompanied usually by a cloth deviee designating the corps or department of the service to which they belong. See ARIA rmtv Serriec chevrons are worn by all enlisted men who have served faithfully for one term of en listment, for either three or five years, and eon silt of a diagonal half-chevron of cloth of the color of the corps. department. or arm of ser vice in which they have served, worn as a mark of distinction upon both sleeves of the dress coat below the elbow. To indicate service in war,
a diagonal half-chevron of white cloth, with piping of the same color as tile facings of the corps, department, or arm of service in which the soldier earned the right to wear it, is used; those for the engineers have in addition a stitching of white silk on each side of the chevron, which is worn on both sleeves of the dress coat. (For con ditions under which service-in-war chevrons are worn. see UNIFORMS, IIII.ITARY.) The chevron: to indicate service and service in war, if more than cote, will be worn one above the other, in the order in which they were earned, one-quarter of an inch distance between them, and only for wars and such Indian campaigns as have been so designated by the Secretary of War in orders.
Chevrons of varying number and design are worn for the same reason and purpose in prac tically every civilized army, the .English and French systems more closely approaching the United States than do the other nations of Continental Europe. Chevrons as badges of dis tinction were first introduced in the Prussian cavalry in 1889, and are worn by expert swords men. In France veterans and non-commissioned officers promoted for long service are called ehev ronmss. lm England warrant and non-commis sioned officers wear the badges similarly to the French, on the left sleeve of the coat, between the elbow and the shoulder. Four chevrons denote the rank of quartermaster-sergeant, three a ser geant. two a corporal, and one a lance-corporal of infantry, a bombardier of artillery, and a second corporal of engineers. They are worn point downward. Warrant officers (i.e. regi mental sergeant-major or bandmaster) are dis tinguished, the former by a gold crown worn over the left cuff, and the latter by a gold lyre simi larly worn. Chevrons for long service are worn by private soldiers on the right forearm. points upward. Chevrons for long service in the ease of enlisted men or for rank in the case of non-com missioned officers below the rank of full sergeant are of cotton braid, the color of which is deter mined by the arm of the service to which the wearer belongs. Non-commissioned officers of ser geant's rank and upward wear gold chevrons.