Service Stripe

A service stripe, commonly called a hash mark, is a decoration of the United States military which is authorized for wear by enlisted members of the U.S. military to denote length of service.

The United States Army authorizes one stripe for each three year period of service, while the United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, and United States Coast Guard authorize one stripe for each four year period of duty.

In contrast to the Army, the Navy and Marine CorpsGood Conduct Medals, a service stripe is authorized for wear by enlisted personnel upon completion of the specified term of service, regardless of the service member's disciplinary history. For example, a soldier with several non-judicial punishments and courts-martial would still be authorized a service stripe for three years service, although the Good Conduct Medal would be denied.

In 1777, the French ancien régime army had used Galons d'ancienneté, or "Seniority Braid" (cloth braid chevrons nicknamed brisures > "breaks") worn on the upper sleeves awarded for each seven years of enlistment. Soldiers who wore such emblems were called briscards ("breakers"). The practice was continued in Napoleon Bonaparte's army in which they were awarded for 10, 15, and 20 years of service. The French Army later moved them to the lower sleeves and the rank stripes to the upper sleeves. Service chevrons were worn on the lower left sleeve and Wound Stripes were worn on the lower right sleeve (influencing the American Wound Chevron device).

In the United States, the concept of a service stripe dates back to 1782 when, during the American Revolution, George Washington ordered that enlisted men who had served for three years "with bravery, fidelity and good conduct" should wear "a narrow piece of white cloth, of angular form" on the left sleeve of the uniform coat. In the U.S. Army, sleeve stripes denoted a successful completion of a standard enlistment. They were the same color as the enlisted rank stripes and were "half-chevrons" (angled strips of cloth). Service during the American Civil War was denoted by a red stripe bordered by the rank stripe color (called a "Blood Stripe"). The artillery corps, who wore red stripes on their uniforms, wore a white stripe bordered red instead.

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