A service stripe, commonly called a hash mark, is a decoration of the United States military which is presented to enlisted members of the U.S. military to denote length of service. The United States Army awards each stripe for three years service, while the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard award each stripe for four years of duty. In the U.S. the concept of a service stripe dates back to the American Civil War where sleeve stripes denoted a successful completion of a standard enlistment. Earlier, they had been used in Napoleon's army, with a chevron awarded for each seven years of enlistment. These stripes are also used on the sleeves of the full dress uniform worn by cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point, which denote the number of years a cadet has been at the academy. This is also done by cadets of other military colleges and prep schools.
Sleeve stripes are only worn by enlisted personnel. Sailors wear their stripes on the bottom cuff of the left sleeve,[1] whereas Marines wear them at the bottom cuff of both sleeves. Soldiers wear them on the left sleeve and Overseas Service Bars on the right one. Service stripes are only worn on formal uniforms, and are not seen on the more common day-to-day working uniforms.
In contrast to the Good Conduct Medal, a service stripe is presented to 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 receive a service stripe for three years service whereas, in the same situation, the Good Conduct Medal would be denied.
The Navy also issues gold service stripes to those service members with over twelve cumulative years service free of disciplinary action in the United States Navy, United States Navy Reserve, United States Marine Corps, or the United States Marine Corps Reserve in a pay status.[1] In cases where a disciplinary infraction has occurred, the service member is not denied a service stripe but simply is issued the standard red stripe design. The Coast Guard issues gold and red service stripes, as well, but as a distinction between junior enlisted personnel (E-1 to E-6 who wear red service stripes) and Chief Petty Officers (E-7 to E-9 who wear gold).
The United States Air Force is the only branch of service which does not issue service stripes. The Air Force Longevity Service Award is issued in lieu. Historically, persons who were in the Army Air Force and then became part of the Air Force when it was separated in 1947 could continue to wear their service stripes.
In many U.S. Law Enforcement agencies, officers and deputies wear service stripes on their long sleeved uniforms, usually on the lower left sleeve. One stripe may be worn for every three, four or five years of service and differs from agency to agency.
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