Model Forum / General / Models / October 2007

It probably happened very shortly after the enemy sniper took out the guy
wearing the most stripes. :-)

In my experience, rank insignia is never dispensed with. When in the field,
rank insignia is usually small and of a low-contrast to the rest of the
uniform, but it is still present.  However, formalities such as saluting
officers are ignored as this could provide a lurking sniper with a
high-value target.

Even on capture, servicemen should never rid themselves of their rank
insignia - in theory.  Having done so could theoretically lead to charges of
being a spy, in which case the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war may no
longer apply. However, at the numerous CAC (Conduct After Capture) lectures
that I attended, it was always made clear to us that the final choice was
down to the particular serviceman. There may be situations where there was
reason to believe that the enemy were torturing high ranking officers. Such
a move could retain a measure of anonimity.

Unit insignia is another matter, however. You may have noticed that aircrew
almost always have their unit insignia attached to velcro patches on their
flight suits. This allows them to take all unit insignia off each time they
fly into hostile airspace. Similarly, all unit insignia will be removed from
their aircraft before the aircraft are deployed away from their home bases.