How did gold come to symbolize lower ranks than silver in the United States Air Force?
score:34
It's historical, dating from before the two colours represented different ranks instead of different branches of the army, as a cost-saving measure (essentially).
From Wikipedia:
The Army origin explains why the color silver outranks gold in Air Force officer insignia. In the early 19th century, Army infantry colonels wore gold eagles, while all other Army colonels wore silver eagles. When the Army later decided to adopt a single color of eagles for all colonels, that single color was silver, apparently because more silver eagles than gold eagles were already in use. Lieutenant colonels received silver oak leaves next, to match the silver eagles of full colonels. Majors were then given gold oak leaves to distinguish them from lieutenant colonels. Once the precedent of silver outranking gold was set, it was followed when gold bars were later created for second lieutenants, who had no grade-specific insignia until the early 20th century.
Update:
I found this complete History of U.S. Army Grade Insignia through 1866. I note that the early adoption of silver jewelry resulted in a high contrast when worn over gold epaulettes. Also, as late as 1866 Second Lieutenants wore no insignia jewel while First Lieutenants and Captains wore a silver jewel with high contrast against the gold braid. This is completely consistent with the note in Wikipedia that I quoted above.
Upvote:2
In the mid 60's I served in the Army Reserve. Military Army and Marine officer ranks were explained by an instructor as follows.
Symbols follow their appearance in nature. Going from low to high; silver is found at a higher elevation than gold, oak leaves (including other reasons) still higher, eagles still higher, and stars highest.
Sure hope this explanation has significance since I've been passing this on for some time.
Upvote:4
One after-the-fact explanation suggested by some NCOs is that the more-malleable gold suggests that the bearer is being "molded" for his or her responsibilities -- as a field officer (second lieutenant) or staff officer (major). However, this explanation may be more clever than correct, for while the insignia for second lieutenant and major are gold colored they are actually made of brass, and brass is a base metal while silver is a precious metal. The rank order thus does not actually conflict with heraldic tradition.
Source: US Military Rank Insignia
Upvote:5
There is a fine PDF booklet by Raymond Oliver, then curator of the Air Force museum at McClellan AFB in Sacramento, "Why is the Colonel Called "Kernal" which explains the origin of military ranks and their associated insignia.
More post
- 📝 Henry I. (the Fowler): What kind of contact to hostages was seen as appropriate?
- 📝 Why was the shape of German states pre-WWII (especially Prussia) so complicated?
- 📝 How were the British and French Mandates in the Levantine area involved in WWII?
- 📝 How much Ancient Egyptian survived into modern Coptic & Egyptian Arabic?
- 📝 what is the history of naming newborn in different community?
- 📝 How did knights in full suits of armor eventually die in combat? What were the most common causes of death for soldiers in full-body plate armor?
- 📝 Kabris, the "half-wild Frenchman", in Kamchatka
- 📝 Was early Sumerian civilization wiped out by a flood?
- 📝 What was the general attitude of people in states without anti-miscegenation laws toward interracial marriage?
- 📝 Provinces and Dioceses in the late roman empire contrasted with those of the church
- 📝 Why did Roman Army rarely field large Roman cavalry units and rely on foreign auxiliaries?
- 📝 Why didn't the Chinese repeating crossbow dominate?
- 📝 What is the real story of the Lion of Gripsholm Castle?
- 📝 What was the purpose of Nazi extermination camps?
- 📝 Which WWII Medal and ribbon are these?
- 📝 How were shields fastened to soldiers' backs?
- 📝 Help for identifying a shell
- 📝 Did average church-goers understand mass in Latin?
- 📝 Are there any good books in English about the mechanics of German reunification?
- 📝 Why didn't the Cathars speak a language influenced by the East?
- 📝 How did old international loans work?
- 📝 Why did the Vikings stop raiding Europe?
- 📝 Why didn't the steppe bow spread further?
- 📝 The greek 'daktylos'
- 📝 Are there any remaining existant texts that describe the styles and techniques of Medieval European swordsmanship?
- 📝 Oldest manuscript of Arthashastra
- 📝 Why do Strabo, Pliny and Diodorus cite Pytheas in disbelief?
- 📝 Is the story about Mussolini and Oliver Hardy apocryphal?
- 📝 What was German GDP in 1919 in Goldmarks?
- 📝 Great Wall of China Controversy
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 How did gold come to symbolize lower ranks than silver in the United States Air Force?
- 📝 How did the central government of the United States finance itself under the Articles of Confederation?
- 📝 How did the United States avoid (or recover from) post revolution corruption?
- 📝 Why was immigration from France to the United States lower than from some other countries?
- 📝 How did the United States treat POWs in Vietnam?
- 📝 How did Juneteenth come to be the primary national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States?
- 📝 How did Southern slaveholders in the United States relate to the Caribbean and Latin America?
- 📝 How far did Malcolm X get with taking the United States to the United Nations?
- 📝 How did the United States penal system evolve?
- 📝 How did the United Kingdom government come to be responsible for defence of the Channel Islands?
- 📝 Why did the United States not resort to nuclear weapons in Vietnam?
- 📝 How was the United States able to produce excellent tanks in 1942?
- 📝 Did the United States have a third atomic bomb to drop on Japan?
- 📝 When did the term "Nationality" first come into use? How did ancient civilizations refer to themselves? By ethnicity?
- 📝 Why did the Japanese expect the United States navy would attack the Home Islands?
- 📝 Why did the United States not invade North Vietnam?
- 📝 How did the gold of the new world cause the Spanish Empire to collapse?
- 📝 Why did the United States enter World War I?
- 📝 Why did the United States drop a uranium bomb instead of a plutonium bomb on Hiroshima?
- 📝 How did the Allies achieve air superiority on Sicily?
- 📝 Why did the German air force lose experienced pilots faster than the Allies, even though they were defending their home airspace?
- 📝 Colonisation of India: Which regions of the United Kingdom did colonial personnel come from?
- 📝 When and how did the idea of a "class-less" society originate in the United States?
- 📝 How close did the US come to removing the Electoral College in 1970?
- 📝 Did more Jews live in Poland than any other country, prior to the Holocaust, because of how Polish laws and people regarded Jews?
- 📝 How did the Catholic Pope manage to become more powerful than Kings in old Europe?
- 📝 How did the South USA become more overtly Christian than the North?
- 📝 Why did the United States not seriously develop Anti Aircraft Missiles?
- 📝 When and how did the presidents of states became governors in the U.S.A?
- 📝 How did lower classes with aspirations to high social standing greet each other in the Paris of the 1630's?
