Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia / How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign Countries

by Dion Williams

THE MARINE BAND

The Marine Band, consisting of a Leader, second leader and seventy musicians, is stationed at the Headquarters Barracks of the Corps in Washington, D. C., and one of its principal duties is to furnish music for the official functions at the White House, hence it is popularly known as the “President’s Band.”

The Leader of the Marine Band wears blue undress, white undress, summer field and winter field uniforms, cloak, sword and overcoat of the same material, colors and design as those worn by commissioned officers of the Line, substituting a lyre one inch high for the insignia of rank, the lyre being of silver for the undress uniforms and of dull finish bronze for the field uniforms. His special full dress uniform is the same as that for a Captain of the Staff, with the addition of seven rows of gold braid across the front each terminating in a double loop at either side, and the substitution of a silver lyre one inch high in place of the insignia of rank. His full dress coat is a single-breasted tunic of scarlet cloth trimmed across the front with seven rows of black mohair braid of the same design as for the special full dress coat, and having an ornament consisting of three loops of black braid on each cuff, and a piping of white cloth around the edges of the coat; the gold shoulder knots and aiguilettes are worn with this coat. The trousers worn with this coat are the same as those worn with the special full dress, dark blue cloth with gold lace stripes down the outer leg seams.

The special full dress for the second leader and musicians is a single breasted sack coat of scarlet cloth extending to about ten inches below the waist, with a standing collar, trimmed with piping of white cloth around the edges of the coat, the collar and the straps on the shoulder being of black cloth, the sleeves for the second leader being trimmed with three loops of black mohair braid and the musicians having pointed cuffs of black cloth, trousers of sky-blue cloth trimmed down the outer leg seams with a one-inch stripe of scarlet cloth having a piping of white cloth one-eighth of an inch wide through the center; a cap of the same design as that for other enlisted men but made of scarlet cloth with a black band.

The full dress uniform for the second leader and musicians consists of a coat of scarlet cloth of the same design as the special full dress coat with the addition of seven rows of black mohair braid across the front and shoulder knots and aiguilettes, these being white for musicians and of gold cord for the second leader; trousers and cap the same as for special full dress.

The undress, summer field and winter field uniforms and the overcoat are the same as those worn by other enlisted men of the Marine Corps.

The chevrons for the dress uniforms of the musicians of the band are three and a half inches wide by five inches long and are made of yellow silk with a lyre embroidered in the center in yellow silk. The chevrons for the second leader and the drum major are of the same size and design, but are made of gold lace braid, the second leader having a cornet embroidered in the center and the drum major a star.

The chevrons for the field uniforms and the overcoat are the same as for other noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps with the addition of the cornet for second leader, the star for drum major and the lyre for musicians.

The chevrons for the special full dress and full dress coats are of the same size and design as for the dress coat but are made of white braid and embroidery.

Identification Tag.—Every officer and enlisted man of the U. S. Marine Corps on active duty is required to wear an identification tag, which consists of a round plate of white metal, one and three-eighths of an inch in diameter, suspended from the neck by a monel metal wire encased in a cotton covering.

These tags are stamped as follows; for officers, full name and rank; enlisted men, full name and date of first enlistment in the Marine Corps. The tags for both officers and men also have the letters “U. S. M. C.” plainly stamped upon them.

These tags are for the purpose of identification in case of death or wounds so serious as to produce unconsciousness.

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SEAL OF THE U. S. COAST GUARD

CHAPTER VII
UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF
THE U. S. COAST GUARD

The uniforms and insignia of the officers and enlisted men of the U. S. Coast Guard are very similar to those of the Navy, and they are made of dark blue cloth for wear in cold or temperate weather and of white duck for wear in the tropics or in hot weather. A variation from this general rule is found in the case of the Keepers and surfmen on duty at the Life-Saving Stations who have uniforms of khaki or olive-drab cotton duck instead of the white uniforms of the seagoing men of the Coast Guard.