How to Properly Align Rank Insignia on Marine Uniforms

Last Updated: February 14, 2022

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) requires that members wear the proper rank insignia on their uniforms. The type of insignia changes with the rank of the marine. Enlisted marines, warrant officers and commissioned officers wear different insignia and follow different guidelines for where to attach them.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Aligning Rank Insignia for Enlisted Marines

1
Choose a uniform. Enlisted marines are required to wear different uniforms, depending on the occasion. Generally speaking, there are three “types” of uniforms worn by enlisted marines. The field, utility or combat uniform is worn during active operations. The dress or blue dress uniforms are worn to formal occasions. Finally, the service uniforms are worn much like business suits, for military inquiries, appearances in court, meetings with officers, etc.^{[1]
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2
Know your chevrons. Chevrons, which signify an enlisted marine's rank, are worn on the sleeves and collars of all dress and service uniforms. While wearing utility or combat uniforms, enlisted marines only wear small, black chevrons that pin to the collars of their uniforms.^{[2]
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- The sleeve chevrons are stitched to the dress and service uniforms, so this article will deal exclusively with how to attach collar chevrons.
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3
Point the chevrons up. An enlisted marine's chevrons should always be positioned with the tip pointed up. Chevrons come in different sizes, depending on the rank of the marine, but are always placed on the collar with the points up.^{[3]
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4
Position the chevrons. The bottom edge of the insignia (no matter what rank) will be ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) from the side of the collar on both sides. Thus, a sergeant major's chevrons will protrude higher up than a PFC, because it is much taller.^{[4]
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5
Attach. Chevrons for enlisted persons attach to the collar with a built in pin. Remove the backing from the pin, push the pin through the front of the cloth on the collar, and reattach the backing on the underside of the collar.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Aligning Rank Insignia for Warrant Officers

1
Know your rank insignia. Warrant officers don't wear chevrons on the collar. Instead, they wear a rectangular pin whose colors alternate between red and silver or red and gold, depending on the rank. These pins are worn on both the left and right collar. ^{[6]
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2
Position the pin lengthwise. A warrant officer's rank insignia should always be positioned lengthwise, with the longer portion being positioned horizontally. Regardless of rank, warrant officer pins are the same size.^{[7]
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3
Align the pin. The bottom edge of the insignia (no matter what rank) will be centered from the side of the collar on both sides. The rank insignia for warrant officers is positioned vertically 1 inch above the bottom of the collar.^{[8]
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4
Attach. Rank insignia for warrant officers attach to the collar with a built in pin. Remove the backing from the pin, push the pin through the front of the cloth on the collar, and reattach the backing on the underside of the collar.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Aligning Rank Insignia for Commissioned Officers

1
Align generals' stars. Generals in the USMC wear stars of gold and silver to represent rank. Generals' stars will have a single tip pointing up, centered vertically, 1/2 an inch from the sides and one inch from the bottom, on both collars.
- On service uniforms, the stars are attached to a general's epaulets and shirt collar.
- On dress uniforms, generals wear their stars on the epaulets and an insignia of an eagle on top of a globe, with an anchor running through it, on their jacket collars. To position the eagle/globe logo, position the insignia so that the eagle is vertically upright, and the head of the anchor is facing inwards towards the neck. Attach this insignia 1/2 an inch from the side and 1 inch from the bottom of the collar.
2
Align the oak leaves. Lt. Colonels and Majors will wear oak leaves of varying colors as a sign of rank. Always center the oak leaves on the collar, with the stem pointing downward. Like with other rank insignia, the oak leaves need to be position 1/2 an inch from the sides and 1 inch up from the bottom of the collar.
3
Position and attach the bars. Captains and Lieutenants wear bars on their collars to represent their respective ranks. Center the bars 1/2 inch from the sides of the collar. Position the bars 1 inch above the bottom of the collar and attach.
4
Attach colonels' eagles. Colonels will wear their eagles with the wings perpendicular to the deck and looking inboard (towards the neck). Attach this pin 1 inch from the bottom of the collar and 1/2 an inch from the sides on the dress jacket collar.
5
Attach chevrons to utility uniforms. When in combat or in the field, commissioned officers are not required to wear any sign of their rank on their uniforms. However, they may choose to signify their rank wearing small chevrons on the collar. These are attached in the same way as on enlisted marine uniforms.^{[10]
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- To avoid standing out and making themselves a target in the field, officers often choose to wear black or brown “subdued” chevrons rather than shiny gold or silver ones.

Community Q&A

Question

Where is the Private First Class stripe located on the Marine Dress or blues?

Community Answer

It's located on the inside of the collar (until you flip it outside) or the side of the shoulder on either arm.
Question

What does 4 stars on a Marine's shirt collar stand for?

Community Answer

4 stars - General; 3 stars - Lieutenant General; 2 stars - Major General; 1 star - Brigadier General.
Question

When do officers get issued their dog tags?

Community Answer

Both officers and enlisted members get their dog tags when they enter into their unit or duty station.