lenochs%drcoa1.decnet@drcvax.af.mil (DRCOA1::LENOCHS) (03/06/91)
From: "DRCOA1::LENOCHS" <lenochs%drcoa1.decnet@drcvax.af.mil>
Charlie Dennett sez:
>...a short leather strap hanging from his right shirt pocket. On this
>there were four items, all black. ... What is this and what is the
>significance of the items that are attached to the strap.
According to a NY Times (I believe) article a couple of weeks back, all
coalition staff in Riyadh wear these straps. The devices on the strap
indicate the equivalent Saudi rank.
This is a common practice. In school at Keesler AFB, Turkish airmen
wore the small, metal AF rank insignia (used on the windbreaker,
pullover sweater and raincoat) on a plastic name tag to give us some
clue as to their ranks. (BTW, in my class, a Turkish E-6 had 3 stars!)
I had a similar experience in DC. I was assigned to the Defense
Communications Agency, and worked in a joint service shop. On my first
day, I was being introduced around when I saw a man in black slacks and
white long sleeve shirt. When asked, he told me he was the boss (a
Navy Chief with his coat off). The Army ranks were easy, but the Navy
is really confusing. Colors indicate branch, 'crows' indicate
profession, two different types of uniform based on rank ... very
strange (to an AF person).
Many AF units have (had) a poster in some common area with a table
showing the relationship of the American armed forces rank structures.
(Required reading at the Puzzle Palace!)
Loyd M. Enochs - Dynamics Research Corporation - Andover, MA
ex-USAF Munitions Maintenance Specialist, 1974-1980
ex-USAF Computer Systems Analyst, 1980-1987