INSIGNIA OF UNIFORMED FORCES OF UNITED STATES 413 



ing placed at half-mast the flag must al- 

 ways be raised to the top of the staff, and 

 before it is lowered from half-mast it 

 must likewise be hoisted to the top. 



WHEN A FLEET FARES FORTH TO BATTLE 



At the command "Clear the ship for ac- 

 tion," the battle ensigns are mastheaded 

 and final preparations are made for bat- 

 tle, and under no circumstances is an ac- 

 tion to be commenced or a battle fought 

 without the display of the national en- 

 sign. When an enemy's ship strikes her 

 colors in battle, the commanding officer 

 of the man-of-war to whom she struck 



is required to continue the action with 

 other ships of the enemy, but takes pos- 

 session of the surrendered ship as soon 

 as possible. 



Striking the flag is an indication of 

 surrender. The articles for the govern- 

 ment of the Navy of the United States 

 require the punishment by death, or such 

 other penalties as a court-martial may 

 adjudge, of any person in the naval serv- 

 ice who strikes, or attempts to strike, the 

 flag to an enemy or rebel without proper 

 authority, or when engaged in battle 

 treacherously yields or pusillanimously 

 cries for quarter. 



THE INSIGNIA OF THE UNIFORMED FORCES 

 OF THE UNITED STATES 



Presented in the six succeeding pages are the 

 insignia of the various branches of the United 

 States i\rmy and Navy and of the organizations 

 cooperating with them. By means of these il- 

 lustrations one may identify the rank and arm 

 of the service of the wearer of practically any 

 American uniform seen during the period of 

 the war— information which is of especial value 

 at this time, when the young men of America 

 are flocking to the colors and donning the uni- 

 form of our country to help in the titanic strug- 

 gle to make the ''World Safe for Democracy." 



By direction of the Secretaries of War and 

 Navy, officers and men wear only the service 

 uniform for the duration of the war, dispensing 

 with the handsome dress uniforms which give 

 color to elaborate peace-time social functions 

 in all the capitals of the world. Brass buttons 

 have generally been discarded, and in their 

 place in the Army and Marine Corps the more 

 subdued color of bronze is in keeping with the 

 somber olive drab of the field uniforms, reduc- 

 ing the visibility of the forces to a minimum. 



In the comparatively short time we have been 

 at war several important changes have been 

 made and new branches and officers created. 

 Generals Pershing and Bliss have been raised 

 to the rank of full general — a grade vacant 

 since the Civil War; and while no Admiral of 

 the Navy has been appointed to succeed the 

 late Admiral Dewey, Admirals Benson, Mayo, 

 Caperton, and Knight have been made full ad- 

 mirals, and Admirals Sims and Coffman Vice- 

 Admirals — grades recently revived by act of 

 Congress in order that our officers may rank 

 with the men of the Allied Forces with whom 

 they are cooperating. 



The U. S. Marine Corps, "the soldiers of the 

 sea," operate, as usual, under the general direc- 

 tion of the Secretary of the Navy. The pri- 

 vates of this fighting force wear caps as a part 

 of their field uniform while on board ship. On 

 land they follow the style set by the army and 

 wear the field service hat, with the difference, 

 however, that they wear no colored cord, but 



have their metal corps device fastened to the 

 crown. At the front they, as well as the men 

 of the army, are wearing the shrapnel helmet. 



During times of peace the U. S. Coast Guard, 

 acting under the Treasury Department, polices 

 the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards, and its cut- 

 ters are the foes of smugglers and other law- 

 breakers. It also performs life-saving service 

 on these shores, enforces the sealing laws in 

 northern waters, and patrols the sea lanes of 

 commerce for icebergs and derelicts. In time 

 of war the Coast Guard automatically becomes 

 a branch of the navy. 



The U. S. Public Health Service is an es- 

 pecially important organization in war times, 

 and its men in uniform are performing a valu- 

 able service in safeguarding the health of sol- 

 diers at home by creating the best sanitary con- 

 ditions in the territory surrounding the great 

 encampments. 



Many patriotic societies are cooperating with 

 the military forces to lessen the soldier's hard- 

 ships, and chief among these is the American 

 Red Cross, which is facing an enormous task 

 in caring for the sick and wounded, besides fur- 

 nishing numerous comforts for the men in the 

 field. This great organization is vastly in- 

 creased in personnel, and a field uniform, with 

 appropriate insignia, has been recently adopted 

 for its officials abroad, the essentials of which 

 are shown on page 419. 



With the forces in the field, both in this 

 country and abroad, are hundreds of men who 

 are dispensing the hospitality of the Y. M. C. A. 

 and the Knights of Columbus, and are looking 

 out for the welfare of the soldiers in every 

 manner their ingenuity can devise. These men 

 are distinguished by insignia worn on semi- 

 military uniforms (see page 419). 



Note. — The Italian airplane insignia, painted 

 on wings of machines, are like the French, No. 

 240, on page 319, except that the centers are 

 green. 



