Gold Bars for Captain and Silver Oak Leaf for Major on the Army Green Service Uniform?

[MrStiv]

I work at The Salute Uniforms and recently had a customer ask me a question. I couldn’t provide an answer based on publicly available documentation, and trying to get a straight answer from various Army Departments/Agencies is almost hopeless. I’m hoping someone here might know the answer, so here is its:

 

Has the Army introduced gold bars for Captain rank insignia and silver oak leaf for Majors? This is straight from the January 2021 edition of DA PAM 670-1, Chapter 21-6 (a) with the pertinent information bolded and underlined:

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(4)  Captain.  The non-subdued captain grade insignia is two silver-colored bars, each 3/8 inch wide and 1 inch long, with a smooth surface. The bars are spaced 1/4 inch apart and are worn lengthwise on shirt collars, parallel to the shoulder seam on shoulder loops. For the AGSU, oxidized gold grade insignia will be worn in the same dimensions.

 

(3)  Major.  The non-subdued major grade insignia is a gold-colored oak leaf in a satin finish with an irregular surface, 1–1/8 inches high and 1-inch wide. The leaf is worn with the stem facing the outside shoulder seam. For the AGSU, oxidized silver grade insignia will be worn in the same dimensions.

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Normally, I would chalk this up as just another typo in the regulations. But in these cases it’s not a matter of the writer making a mistake in editing existing text: These are entirely brand-new sentences that have been inserted, which makes me think it is definitely intentional.

 

Thanks for any info!

[Justin B.]

 

15 minutes ago, MrStiv said:

Normally, I would chalk this up as just another typo in the regulations. But in these cases it’s not a matter of the writer making a mistake in editing existing text: These are entirely brand-new sentences that have been inserted, which makes me think it is definitely intentional.

 

 

Well, writers and editors can make mistakes in new text too. This is pretty clearly an error, otherwise majors and captains switch between gold and silver depending on the uniform, and lieutenant colonels and majors wear the same insignia on the AGSU.

 

The silver leaf = O-5 and gold leaf = O-4 distinction is the same across all the services, so it would be really surprising for the army to go their own way there. 

[MrStiv]

The fact that rank insignia format has been the same across all services for long, long time makes me think you're probably right. But the whole situation with the adoption of the AGSU, i.e., eliminating the old Army Green Uniform with a wear-out date of October 2015 and then bringing back an Army Green Uniform a little over three years later is, in my humble opinion, borderline nutty in the first place, so I can't say I'd be shocked if it were true.