Command Sgt. Maj. Dana Braquet proudly carries a souvenir American Flag to the "Salute to Our Port Arthur and Area Heroes and Heroines" at the Robert A. Bowers Civic Center in Port Arthur on Tuesday, May 17, 2005. The event honored Southeast Texas veterans and the families of soldiers who are currently serving in the military.
Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise
Deadline pop quiz: Where in the AP Stylebook can a journalist find the correct way to write the ranks of all soldiers, sailors and airmen?
Bonus questions: At a minimum, how many years has this man been in the military? What is his military occupational specialty?
Answers are in the comment section.
5 comments:
The correct way to write his rank can be found under "military titles" in the "AP Stylebook."
He has served a minimum of 30 years (one forearm hash stripe for each three years). He is an infantryman (MOS 11-B). This is denoted by both the blue infantry cord and the blue disks around his lapel insignia.
FYI, command sergeant major is the highest enlisted rank.
To save myself future arguments, hash marks on U.S. Army blue uniforms are balanced (both arms). On U.S. Army green uniforms, small horizontal markings on the right arm denote each 6 months served in combat, while the left arm denotes years of service.
Thanks for the lesson. Never know when that might come in handy.
I'm considering something like this (an question on the blog with the answer in comments) more often. It would be simple things to remind the pros while challenging others to learn more.
I think that is a fantastic idea...and it ups the interactivity quotient of the site, which is always nice.
Originally posted May 30, 2005.
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