Page 24 - USCG Chief Petty Officer Logbook

Blue Dress Uniform, 1926 (U.S. Coast Guard)
White Dress Uniform, 1926 (U.S. Coast Guard)
Blue Dress Uniform, c. 1928 (U.S. Coast Guard)
The first uniforms of the Chief Petty Officer appeared in the 1922 Coast Guard Headquarters Uniform Regulations. They were
similar in design to the Navy’s with a Coast Guard distinguishing mark, a shield one inch in height, on the arm midway between the wrist and elbow. From the time of the adoption of the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO) by the Coast Guard in 1920, the Coast Guard CPO’s uniform paralleled that of the Navy’s CPO uniform. With minor modifications, including the addition of a Coast Guard shield device on the right sleeve, this essentially “Navy” uniform remained the regulation uniform for Coast Guard Chiefs until the adoption of the “Bender Blues” in 1975.
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A time for change for the CG uniform. Shown here left to right are BMC Luna in the new Coast Guard blue uniform; RMC Lorenz in the out-going Navy Blue; BMCM DeLuca in the out-going Khaki; and RMC Steve Parkans in the old WWII Gray Uniform. 1974 (U.S. Coast Guard)
Awhite combination hat, known as “The Hat,” with an anchor above the brim became the rite of passage for all First Class Petty Officers promoted to Chief. When they left behind their “Cracker Jacks” and “Dixie Cups” and donned
a new uniform, “The Hat” became the trademark of the Coast Guard Chief. Today, the combination hat represents leadership and authority, and is the only cover allowed to be worn by students attending the Chief Petty Officers Academy.