Is that a crow or an eagle?

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kaleb Snay
  • 35th Fighter Wing public affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  This is part one of a four-part series covering various military rank structures. It can be used as a quick reference guide.

Are you an Airman who has never been on a joint base or has little exposure to another branch of the military? Do you get confused with different rank structures? Here is some clarification, starting with the U.S. Navy.

Misawa Air Base has more than 700 Navy personnel. Many Airmen are likely to come into contact with a naval officer on the way to work, lunch and even the Exchange. Knowing who to salute is important.

A mistake that tends to happen is not properly identifying Navy insignia and saluting the wrong personnel, said Senior Chief Daniel Sanford, Naval Air Facility Misawa public affairs officer.

"It's a common mistake in a joint environment," said Sanford. "When people see the crow and the chevron insignia worn by a petty officer, they sometimes assume the junior Sailor is a Navy captain, which is the colonel equivalent in the Air Force."

Saluting the wrong personnel can be embarrassing and puts Airmen in awkward situations, said Sanford. "If they don't look like they're old enough to shave, they're probably not a Navy captain," Sanford joked.

The Navy has a variety of uniforms they wear depending on the season or event they are attending, which can make identifying rank more confusing, said Sanford.

"If you're coming around a corner quickly with only a couple seconds to decipher what the rank is, I always say, 'when in doubt, salute it out," said Sanford. "It's easier to apologize for saluting the wrong person than not saluting at all."

Naval officers in Navy Working Uniform Type 1 wear golden warfare designators (see photo), located above the left chest pocket, while enlisted have silver warfare designators, said Sanford. The rank is commonly located on the cap and on both sides of the collar.

"More so than ever before, our military services are operating in joint environments and being exposed to unfamiliar uniforms and rank insignia," said Sanford. "If we're going to operate effectively, I think we all have an obligation to learn these ranks, and also ensure that we correct our fellow service members who might errantly be saluting or not saluting at all."