U.S. ARMY CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 (CW2) SHOULDER MARKS

Chief Warrant Officers 2 wear shoulder marks embroidered with their rank insignia—two black bars on a silver background—over the shoulder loops found on sweaters (Cardigan and pullover), Service uniform shirts (long- and short-sleeved), and Maternity shirts. Shoulder Marks are manufactured in a Large and a Small size to accommodate variations in shoulder loops produced by different shirt and sweater manufacturers.

A shoulder mark fits properly when the shoulder loops’ buttons or hook-and-loop pads are entirely visible after the mark has been put on and the loop has been secured. Use the length of the two sizes (Large is four-and-a-quarter inches, Small is three-and-a-quarter inches) to determine which size will deliver the best fit for your uniform garment.
 

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When the Army officially created the position of Warrant Officers in 1918, the design of both the rank and specialty insignias owed a great deal to the Navy’s rate and rating system—somewhat ironic, since Warrant Officers s were initially found only on seagoing mine-planting vessels, as well as the fact that the Navy had had Warrant Officers since its founding in 1775. In fact, the first Warrant Officers might have been mistaken for Sailors if they’d worn their insignia on the top half of their uniform sleeves.

For the Mine Planter Service, two types of Warrant Officer job specialties were created: Deck and Engineer. Within each type were three ranks that were equivalent between specialties—the Master (deck) held the same rank as the Chief Engineer, the First Mate was equivalent to the First Assistant Engineer, and the Second Mate and Second Assistant Engineer were the lowest ranking of all.

More CWO 2 Rank Insignia

• Coat Rank Insignia
• Garrison Cap / Beret Insignia
• Embroidered Bullion Sleeve Rank
• Army Combat Uniform (ACU) Rank Insignia

Pre-2004 Warrant Officer Branch Items

• Brown Shoulder Straps (WO1 - CWO5)
• Cap / Sleeve Braids
• Collar Devices
• Warrant Officer Garrison Cap

In January 1920, two sleeve insignias for the job specialties were created by War Department Circular 15, a three-bladed propeller for Engineer positions and a fouled anchor for the Deck jobs. Although no rank insignia was authorized, the personnel in the Mine Planter Service created their own by using strips from brown burlap bags, with Masters and Chief Engineers wearing four stripes, First Mates and First Assistant Engineers three, and Second Mates/Assistant Engineers two. Military historians say that it was this decision by Warrant Officers that led to Brown being named the official color of the Warrant Officer Corps, and the color was used to different degrees in Warrant Officer rank insignia all the way until 1970.