ARTIFACT OF THE WEEK - Horizontal Airman Stripes.

In 1952, General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, then Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, authorized a revised insignia design for the enlisted ranks of Airman First Class, Airman Second Class, and Airman Third Class. The proposed modification featured a transition from the existing angled chevron style to a horizontal stripe format, intended specifically for the lower airman ranks. The design aimed to provide clearer visual differentiation between these ranks and the non-commissioned officer (NCO) grades—Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant, and Master Sergeant—while also elevating the prestige of the NCO tier.

Although officially approved, implementation of the new insignia was postponed to allow for the exhaustion of the Air Force’s existing supply of angled chevrons. Initial estimates projected this inventory would be depleted by June 1955.

By early 1956, the remaining stock of angled insignia had been consumed. On March 12, 1956, the revised design was re-submitted for consideration to the newly appointed Chief of Staff, General Nathan F. Twining. His response was brief and definitive: “No change to be made in insignia.”

Although production of the redesigned chevrons had commenced, they were never formally adopted and remain a noteworthy, if obscure, episode in the visual and organizational history of the early United States Air Force.