Command
Since rank and grade carry with them the corresponding responsibilities and duties appropriate to the office it is necessary to know the commands to which the various grades are ordinarily assigned in order to properly understand the meaning of rank and grade.
In the Army the commands considered appropriate for the officers of the various grades are as follows:
| Sergeant Major, Regimental | The senior or highest noncommissioned officer of a regiment. |
| Sergeant Major, Battalion | The senior noncommissioned officer of a battalion of infantry or artillery or of a squadron of cavalry. |
| or Squadron | |
| First Sergeant | The senior noncommissioned officer of a company, battery or troop. |
| Color Sergeant | The noncommissioned officer who carries the national flag, or colors, of a regiment. |
| Sergeant | The noncommissioned officer who acts as the right and left guide of a company, battery or troop, or of a subdivision of such a unit. |
| Corporal | The noncommissioned officer who acts as a squad leader. |
The duties of the corresponding grades of noncommissioned officers as given in the list on [pages 30 and 31] are explained to a great extent by their titles.
The Privates are the enlisted men of the rank and file who form the great body of the fighting force of the Army in all of its arms and branches.
In the Navy the commands usually assigned to the Line officers of the various grades are as follows:
WARRANT OFFICERS
The duties assigned to the Commissioned Warrant Officers and Warrant Officers aboard ship are as follows:
The Chief Boatswain or Boatswain attached to a ship has general charge of all of the rigging, anchors, chains, hawsers, boat gear and tackles of the ship and is responsible for the condition of such stores.
The Chief Gunner or Gunner attached to a ship is assigned to ordnance duty under the Gunnery Officer and has charge of the ordnance stores and ammunition and the repairs to guns and their gear.
The Gunner assigned to Electrical duty has general charge of the electrical plants and wiring of the ship and the stores pertaining thereto.
The Chief Carpenter or Carpenter attached to a ship has charge of the repairs to the structure of the ship which are made by the ship’s force and the stores for this purpose, including paint.
The Chief Sailmaker or Sailmaker has charge of the sails and awnings and the repairs to them.
The Chief Pay Clerk or Pay Clerk is the assistant to the Paymaster in the Commissary and Supply Department of the ship.
The Chief Pharmacist or Pharmacist is attached to the Medical Department of a ship and has charge of the medical stores and their issue under the orders of the Surgeon.
PETTY OFFICERS
Petty Officers in the Navy correspond to the noncommissioned officers of the Army, and they are divided into three general Branches, the Seaman Branch consisting of the deck force which mans the guns of the battery and performs the strictly “sailor” duties; the Artificer Branch composed of the engineering force, the electricians, the carpenters and the painters; and the Special Branch made up of yeomen, or clerical force, the commissary stewards, cooks and bakers, the hospital nurses and the bandsmen.
As a rule the special duties of each of the Petty Officers are indicated by their titles, or “ratings,” as it is styled in the Navy, as given in the list on [pages 37-40], but a few words of explanation may not be amiss.
Masters-at-Arms are the policemen of the ship; boatswain’s mates are the petty officers who assist the boatswain and see that the orders of the officer of the deck are carried out in the different parts of the ship; turret captains are the petty officers who have charge of the turret guns crews under the Division Officer; gunner’s mates are the petty officers who assist the gunner and see to the repairs of the guns of the battery and have charge of the issue of powder and shell from the magazines to the guns; gun captains are the petty officers in charge of the individual gun crews; quartermasters are the petty officers who stand the watch at the wheel and steer the ship under the orders of the Officer of the Deck; machinist’s mates are the petty officers on duty at the engines and machinery; water tenders see that the proper amount of water is kept in the boilers, and the duties of the other petty officers are as indicated by their “ratings.”
The ordinary enlisted men are apportioned to the three branches in the same manner as the petty officers, the Seaman Branch having seamen gunners especially trained for duty at the guns, seamen, ordinary seamen and apprentice seamen under training; the Artificer Branch having firemen who tend the fires under the boilers, coal passers who transfer the coal from the bunkers to the firerooms and landsmen or untrained men; and the Special Branch having the musicians of the band and buglers, and the lower ratings of cooks, bakers and hospital men.
In the Marine Corps the commands considered appropriate for the officers of the different grades are as follows:
WARRANT OFFICERS
Marine Gunners perform duty in the Marine Corps analogous to that performed by Gunners in the Navy.
Quartermaster Clerks perform duties as assistants to the officers of the Paymaster and Quartermaster Departments of the Marine Corps corresponding to the duties of Pay Clerks in the Navy.
NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS
The noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps perform duties ashore similar to those performed by noncommissioned officers of infantry and artillery in the Army and also perform duties aboard ship similar to those performed by certain of the petty officers of the Navy.
The Marine Detachments assigned to some of the smaller ships of the Navy are commanded by First Sergeants.
Gunnery Sergeants are assigned duties afloat similar to those performed by Gunner’s Mates in the Navy, while on shore their duties are normally in connection with the care and repair of the guns of the artillery, both heavy and light.
In the Coast Guard in times of peace when the service is operating under the Treasury Department the duties of the various grades of officers are as follows:
| Captain Commandant | In charge of the service at the Headquarters in Washington, D. C. | |
| Senior Captain | In charge of a Division of the Service. | |
| Captain | Command of a Cruising Cutter. | |
| First Lieutenant | Command of a Harbor Cutter or Executive Officer of a Cruising Cutter. | |
| Second Lieutenant |  | Watch Officer on a Cruising Cutter. |
| Third Lieutenant | ||
Engineer Captains and Lieutenants perform engineering duty on the cruising and harbor cutters in accordance with their rank.
WARRANT OFFICERS
Keepers are in charge of the Life-Saving stations all along the coast of the United States, while the other warrant officers, Boatswains, Gunners, Machinists and Carpenters, perform duties of the same nature as the corresponding ranks in the Navy.
The petty officers and seamen perform the duties as indicated by their “ratings,” similar to those performed by men of like “ratings” in the Navy.
In the Lighthouse Service the appropriate commands and duties performed by the officers and men in the various ranks and ratings are as indicated by their titles and ratings, these duties in general being similar to those performed by the officers and men of various grades in the other Sea Services in so far as these duties apply to the peculiar needs of the Lighthouse Service afloat and ashore.
UNITED STATES
NATIONAL FLAG
PRESIDENT’S FLAG
 |  |  |
| SECRETARY OF WAR | UNION JACK | SECRETARY OF THE NAVY |
| For Asst. Sec’y. white flag with red stars and emblem | For Asst. Sec’y. white flag with blue stars and anchor | |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL SENIOR IN RANK |
| For junior in rank, red field |
| SENIOR OFFICER’S PENNANT | COMMISSION PENNANT |
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.
CHAPTER III
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS
The National Flag of a country is the flag which bears the device of the nation, the emblem by which the nationality of the state is shown.
An Ensign is the flag or insignia used to show the nationality of the armed forces of a nation; more properly speaking, it is the colors displayed by a ship of war or carried by a regiment of soldiers.
In some countries flags of different designs from those of their national flags are prescribed to be carried by the troops of the armies or displayed as “colors” by the ships of war, but in the United States of America the National Flag, the “Stars and Stripes,” is carried by the Army and displayed as the colors by all ships of the Navy.
The flag of the United States was authorized by a resolution of Congress of June 14, 1777, reading as follows:
Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
For the design of the flag made in accordance with this resolution it was decided to make the stripes of equal width and the stars five-pointed.
Vermont was admitted as a State in 1791 and Kentucky was admitted in 1792, and as a result an act of Congress approved on January 13, 1794, provided:
That from and after the first day of May, Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States be fifteen stripes, alternate red and white. That the union be fifteen stars, white in a blue field.
The rapid increase in the number of States in the succeeding years caused much confusion regarding the exact design of the flag and there came to be a great diversity as to the numbers of stars and stripes. In order to clear up all doubt the Fifteenth Congress passed an act, which was approved by the President on April 4, 1818, entitled,
An Act to Establish the Flag of the United States
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.
Section 2. And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.
In accordance with this law there are at present forty-eight stars in the union of the flag. The proportions of the national flag as prescribed by the Presidential Executive Order No. 1637, dated October 29, 1912, are as follows:
| Hoist (or width) of flag | 1 |
| Fly (or length) of flag | 1.9 |
| Hoist (or width) of union | ⁷/₁₃ |
| Fly (or length) of union | .76 |
| Width of each stripe | ¹/₁₃ |
GREAT BRITAIN
 |  |  |
| WHITE ENSIGN | UNION FLAG | RED ENSIGN |
 |  |  |
| BLUE ENSIGN | JACK FOR VESSELS IN THE EMPLOY OF PUBLIC OFFICES | ADMIRALTY FLAG |
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
FRANCE
NATIONAL FLAG
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL OF FRANCE | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.
There is an exception made in these proportions in the case of the flags carried by the troops, in which case the sizes are established by special orders for the Army and Navy.
For the small flags flown by the small boats and launches of the ships of war and other government ships the executive order places the number of stars in the union at thirteen on account of the fact that the identity of the several stars would be lost if the whole number of forty-eight were used.
The Union Jack is a flag consisting of the union of the national flag, and it is flown at the jackstaff in the bow of ships of war. Its size should be the same as that of the union of the flag with which it is flown.
A pennant is triangular shaped, in some cases having a V-shaped notch cut in the outer end of the fly.
The “commission pennant” is long and narrow, the portion next the hoist, or mast, having a blue field with thirteen white stars and the remainder being divided longitudinally into two parts, red and white. It is flown at the mainmast head of all ships in commission which have no officer on board above the rank of Captain in the Navy, and indicates that the ship carrying it is “in commission,” or on active service.
On ships of war carrying an officer senior in rank to a Captain the prescribed distinctive flag for such officer is flown at the mainmast head in place of the commission pennant, and the ship is known as a “Flagship.”
Naval officers above the rank of Captain in the Navy are called “Flag Officers.”
These distinctive flags of higher command are shown in the illustrations. When two or more flag officers of the same grade are in the same fleet the senior one flies the blue flag of his grade and all the others fly the red flag of the grade.
On any one ship of war only the distinctive flag of the senior officer of flag or higher rank is flown; thus, if the President is aboard an Admiral’s flagship the flag of the President is flown but not that of the Admiral.
In former times the flag was carried into the front line of battle by the troops who used it as their rallying point, but in the battles of to-day, where every attempt is made to disguise and screen the lines of troops from the enemy, the flags and standards of the brigades and regiments would serve to mark the exact position of the lines and thus convey valuable information to the enemy and enable him to concentrate the fire of artillery and machine guns upon them. Therefore the flags are kept far in the rear to be carried in parades and ceremonies only or when the victorious troops march in triumph through the streets of cities captured from the enemy.
In the accompanying illustrations the ensigns, flags and pennants of the principal maritime nations are shown, the national flag and the ensigns carried by the land troops being indicated in each case.
In addition to the flags of the United States shown in the illustrations special flags are provided as distinguishing insignia for the Naval Reserve, the Naval Militia of the several States and territories, and for the merchant ships operated under the United States Shipping Board.
BELGIUM
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL Vice Admiral 3 upper circles Rear Admiral 2 upper circles | ENSIGN & MERCHANT FLAG | COMMODORE |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
ITALY
 |  |  |
| ENSIGN | JACK | MERCHANT |
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
RUSSIA
 |  |  |
| ENSIGN | JACK | MERCHANT FLAG |
 | ||
| NATIONAL PENNANT | ||
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
JAPAN
 |  |
| ENSIGN | MERCHANT |
 |  |
| MINISTER OF THE NAVY | ADMIRAL |
 |  |
| VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | |
| PENNANT | |
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.
The Naval Reserve Flag.—This flag is a “swallow-tailed” pennant of blue bunting bearing a design in the center consisting of two crossed anchors surcharged by a shield of the United States and surmounted by a spread eagle, the design being in white, the thirteen stars on the shield being blue and the bars on the shield being alternate white and red. This flag may be flown as an insignia on private vessels or vessels of the merchant service commanded by officers of the Naval Reserve Force, but shall not be flown in lieu of the national ensign.
The Naval Militia Flag.—This flag is flown as a distinguishing flag by ships of the Naval Militia of the several States and territories when not in the service of the United States. It has a blue field with a yellow diamond in the center and a blue vertical foul anchor in the center of the diamond. These ships of the Naval Militia also fly a pennant at the mainmast, the part next the mast being white with the yellow diamond and blue foul anchor design upon it and the remainder of the pennant is divided longitudinally into two equal stripes of blue and yellow.
The Shipping Board Flag.—This flag is flown as a distinguishing flag, or “house flag,” by the merchant ships operated under the United States Shipping Board, and consists of a white flag bearing a shield of the United States in the center supported by a blue anchor with the letters “U. S. A.” above the design and the letters “S. B.” below it. The shield has a blue field with thirteen white stars and the thirteen stripes are alternate white and red.
The National Ensign carried by each regiment of United States troops is 4 feet 4 inches in height and 5 feet 6 inches long, on a pike or staff 9 feet long, with the edges trimmed with knotted yellow silk fringe 2½ inches wide and a cord and two tassels of red, white and blue silk strands.
In addition to the National Ensign each regiment carries a Regimental Standard of the same dimensions as the National Flag, this standard being of the distinctive color for the arm of the service to which the regiment belongs, and bearing the corps insignia and the number of the regiment.
In the Army the Regimental Standards are as follows:
Regiments of Engineers, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it the insignia of the Corps of Engineers and a scroll bearing the inscription “5 U. S. Engineers” (the number being that of the regiment) embroidered in white silk, trimmed around the edges with white silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of white and scarlet silk strands.
Coast Artillery Corps, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it two cannons crossed embroidered in yellow silk and a scroll bearing the inscription “U. S. Coast Artillery Corps” embroidered in red silk, trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of red and yellow silk strands.
Infantry Regiments, of blue silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it a scroll bearing the inscription “24 U. S. Infantry” (the number being that of the regiment) embroidered in white silk, trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of blue and white silk strands.
Cavalry Regiments, of yellow silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it a scroll bearing the inscription “7 U. S. Cavalry” (the number being that of the regiment) embroidered in yellow silk, trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe.
Field Artillery Regiments, of scarlet silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it a scroll bearing the inscription “8 U. S. Field Artillery” (the number being that of the regiment) embroidered in red silk, trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe.
Signal Corps Battalions, of orange silk having embroidered upon it in proper colors the Coat of Arms of the United States, with below it the insignia of the Signal Corps and a scroll bearing the inscription “4 Battalion Signal Corps” (the number being that of the Battalion) embroidered in white silk, trimmed around the edges with white silk fringe.
The United States Navy Regimental Standard, carried by infantry regiments of sailors when landed for shore operations, is of blue silk with a white diamond in the center and a vertical blue anchor upon the white diamond.
The United States Navy Regimental Standard, carried by artillery regiments of sailors when landed for shore operations, is of red silk with a white diamond in the center and a vertical red anchor upon the white diamond.
The United States Naval Militia Regimental Standards are of the same design as those for the regular Navy except that the diamond in the center is yellow.
The United States Marine Corps Regimental Standard is of blue silk having embroidered upon it in the center the Marine Corps insignia in shades of white, gold and gray silk to represent silver and gold, with above it a scroll in red silk bearing the designation of the regiment in white silk embroidery, and below it a scroll of red silk bearing the inscription “U. S. Marine Corps,” trimmed around the edges with yellow silk fringe and having a cord and tassels of yellow and red silk strands.
Each regimental National Ensign and Regimental Standard has upon the staff beneath the flag a silver plate for each battle in which the regiment has been engaged, the name and date of the battle being engraved thereon.
Flags are provided for the use of general officers of the United States Army to be flown from a staff in the bow of a boat when making official trips by water, or from a staff at the front of an automobile; these flags being of red bunting bearing four white stars for a general, three white stars for a lieutenant general, two white stars for a major general and one white star for a brigadier general.
The flag for the Chief of Staff of the United States Army is of scarlet and white silk, divided diagonally from the lower left hand corner to the upper right hand corner, bearing in the center a large five-pointed star embroidered in white silk surcharged with the coat of arms of the United States embroidered in proper colors. In the upper left hand corner on the scarlet silk is a large five-pointed star embroidered in white and in the lower right hand corner a large five-pointed star embroidered in red.
For a coast defense district commander a red flag bearing two cannon, crossed, in yellow, is authorized, and for a post commander a pennant, the third next the staff being blue bunting with thirteen white stars and the remainder being of red bunting.
GERMANY
 |  |  |
| ENSIGN | JACK | NATIONAL FLAG AND MERCHANT |
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
 |  |  |
| ENSIGN | JACK | MERCHANT |
 |  |  |
| ADMIRAL | VICE ADMIRAL | REAR ADMIRAL |
 | ||
| PENNANT | ||
ENSIGNS, FLAGS AND PENNANTS.
For the general officers and post commanders of the United States Marine Corps flags and pennants of similar design, but with the addition of the Marine Corps insignia in white added, are provided.
A Guidon is a small flag or pennant carried by each troop of cavalry, company of mounted engineers, battery of field artillery, mounted company of the signal corps, field hospital, ambulance company and motor truck company, to designate the unit which carries it.
The cavalry guidon is made up of two horizontal stripes, the upper one red and the lower one white, the outer end being notched or cut “swallow-tailed,” with the number of the regiment in white on the upper stripe and the letter of the troop in red on the lower stripe.
The field artillery guidon is of the same shape and colors as the cavalry guidon with the addition of two cannons crossed in the center, the cannons and the regimental number and battery letter being in yellow.
The guidon for a company of mounted engineers is of the same shape as the cavalry guidon, of scarlet with the corps insignia of the engineers in the center, the word “MOUNTED” above it and the number of the company below it, the insignia, letters and numbers being in silver embroidery.
The guidon for a mounted company of the signal corps is of the same shape as the cavalry guidon, of orange with two flags crossed of white with red centers in the center and the letter of the company in white above them.
Each aero squadron carries a guidon of orange silk with the insignia of the signal corps in white and red in the center, the number of the squadron above the insignia in white and a white eagle with wings spread below the insignia.
Each telegraph company carries a guidon similar to the one for the aero squadron except that in place of the eagle there is a design representing forked lightning.
The guidon for each field hospital organization and ambulance company is of the same shape as the cavalry guidon, of maroon color, having in the center the insignia of the hospital corps, a caduceus, in white, with the number of the organization above the insignia and the initials “F. H.” for field hospital or “A. C.” for ambulance company in white below the insignia.
The guidon for a motor truck company is a pennant, triangular in shape, of red, white and blue, the white portion being diamond shaped with one of the horizontal points at the staff and the other at the outer end of the pennant, the triangular portion above the white diamond next to the staff being red and the corresponding triangular portion below the white diamond being blue, with the quartermaster corps insignia in blue at the center of the white diamond.
The flag of the Geneva Convention, to be used in connection with the national flag in time of war with a country which was a signatory of that convention, is a white flag having a red Greek cross in the center. It is used to mark hospitals, hospital ships, field hospitals, ambulances and ambulance vessels and boats. The size prescribed to mark general hospitals in the United States Army is 5 feet hoist (high) by 9 feet fly (wide) with the red cross 4 feet high and 4 feet wide and the arms of the cross 16 inches wide. The smaller Geneva Convention flags are of the same general proportions.
An interesting development of warfare resulting from the increasing use of aircraft in war is the use of distinguishing marks for the aircraft of the different nations. At first the national flags were used for this purpose, but it was found that they would not serve to identify the nationality of the aeroplane or dirigible airship when viewed from all directions and another system of distinguishing marks has been adopted.
These aircraft distinguishing marks for the aircraft of the principal nations are [shown in the accompanying illustration]. In order that the aircraft carrying them may be distinguished both from above and below these marks are painted on the upper side of each upper wing and on the lower side of each lower wing of aeroplanes and on both the upper and lower sides of the gas bags of dirigible airships and balloons. The marks are also carried on the sides of the fusilage near the bow and on the sides of the vertical rudders of aeroplanes in many cases.
These distinguishing marks are necessary for the aircraft employed in war in order that friend may be distinguished from foe by the airmen and by the gunners and riflemen afloat and ashore.
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| UNITED STATES | GREAT BRITAIN |
 |  |
| FRANCE | BELGIUM |
 |  |
| ITALY | RUSSIA |
 |  |
| GERMANY AND AUSTRIA | TURKEY |
AIRCRAFT DISTINGUISHING MARKS
SEAL OF THE U. S. WAR DEPARTMENT
CHAPTER IV
UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF
THE UNITED STATES ARMY
The uniforms for the officers and enlisted men of the United States Army are made of blue cloth for wear on dress occasions and of olive-drab colored material for wear on general service and field service occasions, and in addition the officers have uniforms of white linen or cotton duck for wear as a dress uniform in the tropics or during hot weather.
The service uniforms of the olive-drab color are made of woolen cloth or serge for cold weather and of cotton duck for hot weather, the latter being usually known as “khaki” uniforms, though the regulation color is of a somewhat darker shade than that universally known as “khaki.”
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood
General Tasker H. Bliss, Chief of Staff, U. S. Army,
and Major General Hugh L. Scott, U. S. Army
It is a general rule that the officers serving with the troops in garrison or in the field must appear in the same style of uniform as that prescribed for the enlisted men.
During peace times officers serving on detached duty or in the offices of the Departments where there are no enlisted men on duty ordinarily wear civilian clothes, but in time of war all officers and enlisted men are required to wear the olive-drab service uniform at all times except when the full dress and dress uniforms are prescribed for some appropriate special occasion. Officers ordered on active field service are required to carry with them only the service uniforms.