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From: crowl@cs.rochester.edu (Lawrence Crowl)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Military Insignia question
Message-ID: <1991Mar7.014654.3070@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 7 Mar 91 01:46:54 GMT
References: <1991Mar4.212349.9497@cbnews.att.com>
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Organization: Computer Science Department University of Rochester
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From: crowl@cs.rochester.edu (Lawrence Crowl)
>From: dennett@Kodak.COM (Charlie Dennett)
>After watching General Swartzkopf the other day, I noticed what appeared to
>be a short leather strap hanging from his right shirt pocket.  On this there
>were four items, all black.  There were two stars.  I couldn't make out the
>other two items.  I've seen the same leather strap on a few other officers. 
>What is this and what is the significance of the items that are attached to
>the strap?

The leather strap hanging from General Schwartzkopf's shirt pocket has two
palms, a crown, and a pip.  (I think, corrections welcome).  This is the Saudi
insignia for the General's rank, full general.  When troops from many nations
operate together in the same area, officiers (soldiers?) often wear their rank
in the insignia of the host nation somewhere on their uniform.  With this
custom, each person only needs to learn the insignia of the host country to
identify the rank of foreigners, and does not need to learn the insignia of
every nation.  In Vietnam, my father (U.S. Air Force captain, two silver bars)
wore the South Vietnamese insigna for his rank (three pips).  I guess the
military settled on the leather pocket tabs as a common place to put the host
nation's rank.

-- 
  Lawrence Crowl		716-275-9499	University of Rochester
		      crowl@cs.rochester.edu	Computer Science Department
		 ...!rutgers!rochester!crowl	Rochester, New York,  14627