Recognized as technical experts in their particular career fields, Chief Warrant Officers are authorized to wear both their insignia of rank and their specialty mark on both sleeves of the Service Dress Blue coat. Former Communications CWOs will appreciate the convenience of our Communications sleeve device, which combines the Coast Guard shield and the iconic specialty mark of four converging lightning bolts on a single swatch of blue serge fabric.
Attaching it is a breeze—just place the device on the sleeve with its outermost edge (closest to sleeve) parallel to the cuff and the bottom of the shield 1/4-inch above the CWO stripe, then center the shield horizontally on the outside of the sleeve.
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Before it was re-designated as the specialty mark for Communications Warrant Officers in 1970, the image of four lightning bolts had been the insignia of Coast Guard Radio Electricians; it was also the specialty mark for several Navy CWO specialties, including the still active Information Systems Technician. In the Coast Guard, however, the disestablishment of the Communications specialty in 2005 spelled the end of this distinct insignia.
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