RANKS

Rank has a long and intricate history throughout all military branches.  The principal insignia of the Air Force’s enlisted ranks—that is, their “stripes”—has a complex history that dates back for centuries. The stripes that enlisted airmen wear on their uniform sleeves can be traced to the chevrons worn by the rank-and-file soldiers of the British Army during the time of the Napoleonic wars in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Even the term “chevron” has a history. In heraldic terms, the chevron means an architectural arch or rafter. In other words, it denotes a strengthening mechanism.  

In every unit they needed leaders to supervise operations, ensure fire discipline, and see to it that maneuver orders were carried out. In each squad, a corporal was placed in charge. He was the unifying cornerstone of the squad, and the chevron he wore symbolized that corner position. A larger unit, the equivalent of a modern platoon, had a sergeant in charge, wearing another angled chevron. Over the ensuing years, the style and execution of these chevrons varied greatly, gathering complexity as they came to describe rank, branch, and duties. 

The first USAF-related insignia was created when the Army formed the Aeronautical Division of the US Army Signal Corps on Aug. 1, 1907.  After USAF’s creation, on Sept 18th, 1947 however, change was in the wind. Airmen were to get a new and distinctive blue uniform, and it was in need of new insignia. In March 1948, a comparatively small sample of 150 airmen was polled as to preference, and a majority selected a chevron with a center circle encompassing a star, with wing-like stripes swept upward. The size of the chevron for men was fixed at four inches, for women, at three inches.

Cadet ranks are fashioned from the USAF enlisted ranks. They utilize chevrons and mirror the same name and number of 'stripes' associated with the name.  The main difference is the shield and torch in the center of the 'stripes' instead of a star. 

Cadet officer ranks differ greatly.  They utilize the same name, however the look of the cadet ranks is drastically different from that of the USAF.  Cadet officer ranks utilize inverted chevrons, in varied widths, to distinguish between the different ranks. See the image below to understand cadet rank.  

 AWARDS

Ribbons are awarded for superior performance throughout the school year.  They are given during our annual awards ceremony at the end of the academic year.  There are numerous awards and ribbons each cadet can be eligible to receive.  Many of these are tied to academic and attendance standards. 

To put ribbons on your uniform, you need to put them in order from most important to least important according to the order of precedence. Ribbons will only be worn on the light blue shirt or dark blue service coat. Wearing the service coat or light blue shirt, the lowest ribbon would be on the bottom left, closest to your arm.  Higher rank cadets can help newer cadets with placement of ribbons or the website below is an excellent resource for information:

Sabershooter's Memento Mori