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The WW I Discharge Chevron


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world war I nerd

The humble red Discharge Chevron whose purpose was to identify Army and U.S. Marine Corps personnel after they had been mustered out of service hardly seems to warrant a post of its own, let alone one of this scale. Despite the fact that it’s arguably the most common and least desired U.S. Army insignia from the World War I (WW I) era, there is much to say about the simple red chevron, which is often referred to as a ‘Discharge Stripe’ or ‘Honorable Discharge Stripe’.

 

As usual, I’ve punctuated the images of the discharge chevron with relevant photos of various AEF shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) to add some color and to increase the overall interest of what might otherwise be described as a somewhat mundane post. As always all forum members are encouraged to add to, question, or correct any aspect of this post.

 

World War I Nerd

 

Photo No. 01: This portrait, titled The Patriot by the great American artist Andrew Wyeth depicts AEF veteran, Sergeant Ralph Cline of the 64th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division. Note that the red discharge chevron can just be seen on the sergeant’s left sleeve.

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Thus far, I’ve been unable to locate any specific General Orders either from the War Department or from the U.S. Army concerning the red discharge chevron, which I believe was adopted early in 1919. However, I do know that:

  • Each discharged soldier was issued with three discharge chevrons. Officers had to purchase their own.
  • Upon being discharged from service, the uniform could be worn for a maximum of three months without the red discharge chevron.
  • If the uniform was worn after the three month period had expired, the person wearing it could be charged with the offence of impersonating a soldier.
  • If the uniform was never worn again the discharge chevron did not have to be sewn on.
  • As soon as a soldier received his discharge papers he became a civilian, and he was no longer obligated to salute a superior officer.

These and other facts pertaining to the uniform and discharge chevron were explained in a post war pamphlet handed out to Doughboys before they mustered out of the Army. It partially read as follows:

The Uniform

If it is your desire to go home in uniform, it is your privilege to do so, under full grant of an act of Congress. You may wear your issue uniform as long as it hangs together if you wish. It is yours. But do not let a minute pass, after being discharged, until you have sewn on, or had sewn on a red chevron, point up, midway between the elbow and the shoulder on the left sleeve.

 

The wearing of any gold, silver, or metal device indicating service is forbidden. Only regulation service chevrons and collar insignia are authorized by law and regulations. Wound and service chevrons for service in any of the Allied Armies are included in that authorization. Can all camouflage.

 

Remember in wearing the uniform, that all of its privileges are yours, with none of the restraints. You are a civilian. There is no law or regulation or tradition requiring you to salute an officer. But so long as the O. D. or the Navy blue or the Marine green covers your body, it should be your pride as one with a military training, and as a soldier who participated in the Great War, to be courteous.

 

Where Do We Go from Here: This is the Real Dope, 1919, William Brown Meloney, page 21, 22

The Red Chevron

The red chevron is the sign that you have been honorably discharged; that you have passed from the military to civil jurisdiction. It will save you being fussed by P.G.’s and M.P.’s, but it conveys no right to you to fuss them. The red chevron is prescribed to be worn by discharged officers and enlisted men as a recognition of duties performed in the service of their country. It also must be worn by discharged officers who accept commissions in the officers reserve corps, until called to active duty.

 

Moreover it is unlawful under the National Defense Act, for the uniform to be worn by either discharged officers or enlisted men, without this distinctive mark, and an offender renders himself liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, to a punishment not exceeding $300, or by imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

 

A free issue of three red chevrons, one for the blouse, one for the overcoat, and one for the O. D. shirt will be made to all enlisted personnel. Discharged officers will find a supply on sale by the Quartermaster at all demobilization camps.

 

Where Do We Go from Here: This is the Real Dope, 1919, William Brown Meloney, page 26

For the Doughboys still serving in France the following appeared in the Stars and Stripes newspaper:

 

Red Chevron for Discharge

The circular points out that after an officer or enlisted man has been discharged, he is not subject to military regulations, although there are civil laws which prevent abuse of the uniform. The red chevron has been adopted to distinguish discharged men from those still in the service.

 

In conclusion, the circular says that the impersonating of officers and the wearing the uniform by those not entitled to them should be prosecuted under an act passed by congress on June 3, 1916, providing as a maximum punishment upon conviction, a fine of $300, six months imprisonment or both. It is pointed out that the observance of the usual military courtesies, such as the salute, can not be forced upon such discharged officers and enlisted men in uniform who do not wish to be governed by them.

Stars and Stripes Newspaper, March 28, 1919, page 7

 

Photo No. 02: The three most common types of discharge chevron were from left to right, red felt on wool, red embroidery on wool and red tape on wool.

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Photo No. 03: On the left are several examples of the “issued” or “regulation” felt on wool discharge chevron. Next to the chevrons is a 2nd Lieutenant’s service coat bearing the 332nd Infantry Regiment shoulder sleeve SSI followed by that of the 3rd Army, which in turn, is followed by a felt on wool discharge chevron.

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Photo No. 04: The winged lion of Saint Mark is the symbol that was chosen to represent the American Field Service (AFS). The AFS was formed in 1915 from Americans living in Paris who volunteered to serve as ambulance drivers in the French Army. The gold and silver bullion embroidered insignia of the AFS is shown at left. The 83rd Infantry Division’s, 332nd Infantry Regiment also adopted the lion of Saint Mark as its insignia. Two examples of that regiment’s follow the AFS SSI.

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Photo No. 05: A number of non-regulation or private purchase embroidered discharge chevrons are shown next to a 1911 Service Coat, also with an embroidered discharge chevron, and a blue war service chevron and the ‘black hawk’ SSI of the 86th Infantry Division. Because the embroidered discharge chevrons were tailor or commercially made, their overall width, the thickness of the chevron, as well as the angle of the arms vary considerably.

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Photo No. 06: Activated in August of 1917, the 86th Infantry Division didn’t make it overseas until August of the following year. The Armistice was signed before the 86th Division saw any combat and it was shipped home in November 1918. The division’s nickname was derived from a Sauk Indian Chief known as Blackhawk. He was responsible for the short lived Blackhawk War that took place in Illinois in 1832. The SSI for the 86th Division appropriately bears a black hawk with outspread wings on a red shield shaped background, with a smaller red shield emblazoned with the initials ‘B and H’.

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Photo No. 07: Of the three types of discharge chevrons, those made of tape are the least common. It is not known whether or not if the discharge chevrons made from tape were “issued” or commercially made or both. Judging by the various shades of red in the photos, the discharge chevrons manufactured from tape were prone to fading. The bottom discharge chevron has been custom made from red velvet. The period photo shows a discharged veteran of the 89th Infantry Division with a felt discharge chevron sewn in the proper location on his service coat.

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Photo No. 08: The ‘Middle West’ or 89th Infantry Division’s SSI was comprised of the ‘Rolling ‘W’ within a circle in black on a circular olive drab background. The insignia was selected in July 1918, while the division was training in the Reynel area of France. Here’s what one division history had to say about the ‘Rolling ‘W’:

 

It was during this period that the Division insignia was adopted. The device consists of the letter W enclosed in a circle. The official explanation of its meaning made at that time is that it designates the “Middle West” Division, as the central letter in one aspect can be read as an M and in another as a W. The official explanation also adds that in another aspect the letter can be read as a Greek Sigma, the symbol of summation; and that the circle implies the ability to exert force in any direction and to rest in any position. In other words, if the observer be rotated about his center, as in turning as what the small boys call a cart wheel, he will at successive periods, of his revolution be able to read M for middle, W for west, and if he is a Greek scholar Sigma for summation.

 

The adoption of the different insignia by the divisions became, about this time, universal in the A.E.F. Aside from the satisfaction of the instinctive desire of all human organizations to adopt some device other than a mere numerical designation, these symbols served a distinct military purpose by facilitating the identification of our own troops and making the work of enemy spies more difficult.

 

History of the 89th Division, 1920, George H. English Jr., page 49, 50

Each unit within the 89th Division was further identified by colored inserts placed within the openings. Clockwise from top left: blue, 177th Infantry Brigade; purple, 178th Infantry Brigade; red, 164th Field Artillery Brigade; black and red, 342nd MG Battalion; white and blue, 341st MG Battalion; and red and orange, 340th MG Battalion.

 

 

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Photo No. 09: Placement of the red discharge chevron was to be: Point up, centered on the left sleeve, midway between the elbow and the shoulder.

 

The service coat on the left, the discharge chevron is too low. The coat in the center, the discharge chevron is more or less in the correct position. The coat on the right the discharge chevron is too high.

 

The three SSI beneath the service coats are early examples of the 89th Division insignia. The right hand shoulder patch is of the woven Liberty Loan style with a yellow insert that is said to represent the cavalry. I’m not so sure about this, as there was no cavalry in the 89th Division. I’ve noticed that many of the Liberty Loan style SSI, like the one shown, feature early variants of a number of AEF division insignia.

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Photo No. 10: The ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ of the 92nd Infantry Division also seemed to have adopted a color scheme to denote the various branches within the division, such as the blue for infantry, white for supply train (?) and red for artillery.

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Photo No. 11: Because the discharge chevrons were sewn on after the soldier left the Army they frequently appear in a wide variety of positions up and down the left sleeve. Some have even been sewn on upside down! These three have all been applied per regulations … points up, centered on the sleeve, midway between the elbow and the shoulder.

 

Set between the legs of the 1st Army SSI is the crossed arrow and prop emblem of the 1st Anti Aircraft Battalion. In the center is either a variation of the 8th Infantry Division SSI or the insignia of the 8th Division’s, 22nd MG Battalion. Does anybody which of the two it actually represents? The final SSI is the red and white symbol of the ‘Buckeye’ or 37th Infantry Division made up of the National Guard from the state of Ohio.

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Photo No. 12: Three more distinguished looking WW I veterans are all wearing the red discharge chevron along with their respective unit insignia, which are:

  • The ‘Rail-splitters’ or 84th Infantry Division made up of conscripts from Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky. The 84th was deployed to France in October 1918 where it was designated as a Depot or replacement division. Because of its late arrival, it’s unlikely that any of its personnel ever saw combat. Note that the Doughboy wearing the 84th Division SSI is wearing cotton service dress. Many of the divisions that hailed from the south seem to have been mustered out of the Army wearing cotton rather than wool service dress. This wasn’t due to a shortage of wool uniforms. A more plausible explanation is that they arrived back in the U.S. during the summer months when the temperatures in the south were much higher.
  • The ‘Golden Acorn’ or 87th Infantry Division was made up of draftees from Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Arriving overseas in September of 1918, its personnel spent the final months of the war fulfilling the duties of a labor battalion instead of training or fighting. The 87th Division SSI also seems to show up in a variety of colors, does anybody know if there is any significance attached to the various colors?
  • The red, white and blue roundel of the 3rd Aero Squadron

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Photo No. 13: apparently not every soldier received the word that the discharge chevron was supposed to be sewn on point up. Note that all three of the discharge chevrons shown have been unwittingly sewn on upside down.

 

Beneath the inverted discharge chevrons are examples of the respective SSI. First up is the blue circle of the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. This style of embroidered Indian head on a white star is generally considered to be the “issued” type. Second is one of the many styles of red, white and blue ‘All American’ or 82nd Infantry Division insignia. The division came to be called ‘All American’, because it was said that it contained a man from every state in the union. Third is the red on black constellation O’Ryan, as worn by ‘O’Ryan’s Roughnecks’ which was the nickname of the New York National Guardsmen that comprised the 27th Infantry Division.

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Photo No. 14: This series of photos show how the red discharge chevron was worn on a double patched service coat. From left to right, the duos of SSI are Tank Corps over 2nd Army; 32nd Infantry Division over 3rd Army; and 1st Infantry Division also over 3rd Army.

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Photo No. 15: The ‘Big Red One’ was arguably General Pershing’s favorite AEF combat division. Its SSI was comprised of the numeral ‘1’ on an olive drab shield. However, the insignia often shows up on a rectangle or oval shaped background, and occasionally just the numeral ‘1’ in red is sewn or embroidered directly onto the sleeve.

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Photo No. 16: The same regulations regarding the red discharge chevrons placement applied to officer’s service coats. The discharge chevron is shown on the service coats belonging to an officer from the 4th Infantry Division (left) and an aviator attached to the 3rd Army. Note that both examples are of the embroidered style.

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Photo No. 17: Placement of the discharge chevron on the overcoat was essentially the same as that of the service coat ... points up, centered on the sleeve, midway between the elbow and the shoulder. The 1917 Overcoat on the left bears a 1st Army SSI with the red over white symbol of the Coast Artillery Corps between the legs of the letter ‘A’. The simplified 1918 Overcoat on the right shows another variation of the SSI of the 82nd Infantry Division.

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Photo No. 18: Each discharged soldier would have been issued three discharge chevrons: one for the service coat, one for the overcoat and one for the flannel shirt. The discharge chevron is typically found on the service coat, and on a handful of overcoats. However, they rarely turn up on the sleeve of the flannel shirt. It should be noted that wearing divisional insignia, like the 29th Infantry Division SSI on the right, on the flannel shirt was strictly against regulations.

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Photo No. 19: Because the National Guardsmen that made up the 29th Infantry Division came from both the northern and southern states of Rhode Island, Maryland and Virginia, it was nicknamed the ‘Blue and Gray Division’. It was no accident that those two colors were incorporated into the divisions SSI.

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Photo No. 20: “Issued” or “regulation felt on wool discharge stripes were fabricated on rolls containing around one hundred chevrons, three of which were cut from the roll as one piece, and given to the discharged Doughboy, similar to the pair of chevrons shown at the top. Note that only one chevron has been separated from what was surely once a trio of chevrons. It was likely sewn onto a service coat. “Issued” or “regulation” discharge chevrons were also made individually. They would have been bundled into groups of three, held together by a stitch or two of thread. Once separated each would look like the one shown in the center. Note the huge difference in quality between the two types of chevrons.

 

If the uniform was to be worn three months after the date of discharge, Federal law required that a red discharge stripe be sewn on. Commercially made enameled pins bearing a red discharge chevron, like the one shown at the bottom, was not a suitable substitute for the red discharge chevron that was prescribed by war Department regulations.

 

The ‘Sandstorm’ or 34th Infantry Division’s SSI was inspired by the desert training grounds of Camp Cody, New Mexico. The insignia is comprised of a red steer’s skull, superimposed on a black Mexican water jug called an olla.

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Photo No. 21: Stubby the beloved mascot of the 26th Infantry Division was found wandering the grounds of Yale Field in Connecticut where men of the 26th Division were training. One soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, smuggled the stray on board the troop ship when it was time for the 26th to ship out. As a canine in the military, Conroy taught the dog how to salute. Because of this, Stubby was allowed to remain with the division on the troop ship after he was discovered by the commanding officer.

 

Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry Regiment in France for eighteen months and participated if 4 offensives and 17 battles. During that time, Stubby was wounded in the leg by a grenade fragment and gassed. After being gassed Stubby’s acute sense of smell and hearing allowed him to hear the sound of incoming rounds and smell the gas long before his two legged brothers in arms were able to do so. This enabled him to constantly alert the Doughboys of incoming gas and high explosive rounds. Among Stubby’s many exploits he first alerted Conroy his master, and then sunk his teeth into a German infiltrator’s leg, preventing his escape. Tales of the brave dog spread to the French civilians and a local woman made a coat for Stubby out of chamois and an olive drab woolen blanket to which the dog’s many awards and decorations were pinned.

 

Stubby returned to U.S. with Conroy to be honored by the Humane Society, the American Red Cross and the American Legion. In post war America, Stubby led and was the star of numerous victory parades and he was photographed with no less than three presidents … Woodrow Wilson, warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge! Stubby passed away in 1926, but he lives on as part of the WW I display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

 

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Photo No. 22: Some of Stubby’s awards and decorations include three war service chevrons, a red discharge chevron, the SSI of the ‘Yankee’ or 26th Division, and a number of French and American decorations. The medals that I was able to identify are shown below. From left to right, they include: French Verdun Medal, French WW I Commemorative Medal, French St. Mihiel Medal, American Purple Heart (Stubby was both wounded and gassed), and a French Chateau Thierry Medal.

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Photo No. 23: Sewing on the discharge chevron was optional as long as the uniform was not worn after three months of the date the soldier was discharged. That’s why so many WW I service coats turn up without the red discharge chevron sewn onto the left sleeve. On the left, the most famous WW I soldier after General Pershing was arguably the Medal of Honor Winner, Sergeant Alvin York. Here he is more than just a few years after the war, showing his service coat with the 82nd Division’s SSI on the shoulder to his grandson. Note that his coat still does not have a discharge chevron sewn onto it. I also wonder what the significance of the light colored armband on the base of the sleeve might be. To the right, this recently discharged and very burly engineer has taken the time to sew at least one of his three discharge chevrons onto his service coat.

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Photo No. 24: So far, I’ve been unable to set eyes on any USMC regulations regarding war service, wound or discharge chevrons. However, based on photographic evidence and surviving examples of USMC uniforms, the red discharge chevron was worn in one of two ways. The first method copied that of the Army ... point up, centered on the left sleeve, midway between the elbow and the shoulder. A discharge chevron is worn per Army regulations on this Army style service coat, which appears to be made out of forest green cloth. Opposite is a USMC 1914 pattern Winter Field Coat, also with a discharge chevron worn Army style.

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Photo No. 25: The second and more common way for the Marines to wear the red discharge chevron was just above the war service chevrons on the left sleeve. The lower points of the discharge chevron were either butted against the upper points of the war service chevrons, as seen on the left or the points were placed an inch or two above the upper points of the war service chevrons, as shown by the Marine on the right.

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