United States Army Branch Insignia

Army branch insignia is separate from Army Qualification Badges in that qualification badges require completion of a training course or school, whereas branch insignia is issued to a service member upon assignment to a particular area of the Army.

HISTORY

The first use of Army branch insignia was just prior to the American Civil War in the 1850 s. It was at that point that the U.S. Army begin developing a series of colored Epaulet s for wear by officers of various Army branches. The original collar scheme was that Cavalry officers would wear yellow, Artillery officers red, and Infantry officers blue. General officers wore dark blue epaulets.

By the start of the 20th Century , Army personnel began wearing various branch insignia on their Jacket Lapel s. Enlisted soldiers would wear a version that is enclosed in a Brass disk while officers would wear a full sized version that is not enclosed. This has continued to the modern age.

HOW WORN

The 21st Century Army displays branch insignia on green (Class A only), blue, and white uniforms. Enlisted would wear the branch insignia disk on the wearer's left coat lapel, opposite "U.S." insignia disk. Officers wear branch insignia on the lower half of both lapels, beneath the "U.S." insignia which occupies the upper half.

Branch insignia is also permitted on shirt collars of the hospital duty uniform, and over the shirt's left breast pocket for chaplains. Other personnel do not wear branch insignia on shirts (Class B uniform).

BRANCH OF SERVICE INSIGNIA

The following are the currently used branch insignia emblems of the United States Army:

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Branch Insignia

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United States Army Branch Insignia