DA PAM 670-1: 16-7. Jacket, Army blue mess, male

Q: DA PAM 670-1: 16-7. Jacket, Army blue mess, male

The male blue mess jacket is cut along evening dress coat lines, descending to the hips with a peaked front and back. Lapel color varies: dark blue for general officers and enlisted, black for chaplains, and branch color for other officers. Officers wear gold shoulder knots. General officers have 4-inch velvet cuffs with oak leaf embroidery; other officers have trefoil braid with grade insignia.

16-7. Jacket, Army blue mess, male

a. Design. The jacket will be made from an approved specification or pattern.

b. General description. The jacket is cut along the lines of an evening dress coat, descending to the point of the

hips and slightly curved to a peak in back and in front. Two 25-ligne buttons joined by a small gold or gold-colored chain approximately 1–1/2 inches long are worn in the upper buttonholes. The shoulders have a device for attaching shoulder knots on officer uniforms.

c. Lapels. The lapels of the Army blue mess jacket are rayon, acetate, or other synthetic fabric with a satin face in

the following colors:

(1) General officers, except chaplains. Dark blue.

(2) All chaplains. Black.

(3) All other officers. The first-named color of their basic branch of service (see para 21–20).

(4) Enlisted personnel. Dark blue.

d. Shoulder knots (officers only).

(1) General description. The shoulder knot is made from 1/4-inch diameter cord of gold bullion, synthetic metallic

gold, or gold-colored nylon or rayon. The shoulder knot is formed of four plaits composed of three cords interlaced as one and rounded at the top with a gold 20-ligne button positioned in the upper end of the knot. The knot is no more than 5–1/2 inches long and 2–1/2 inches wide, conforming to the shoulder and stiffened on the underside with a flexible backing covered with dark blue or black cloth. The flexible backing has an attachment that is suitable for fastening it to the shoulders of the jacket (see fig 16–4).

(2) How worn. Officers wear the shoulder knots attached to the shoulders of the Army blue mess jacket.

e. Jacket sleeve ornamentation.

(1) General officers wear a cuff of blue-black velvet braid, 4 inches wide, positioned 1/8 inch from the bottom edge

of each sleeve. A band of oak leaves in groups of two, 1 inch wide, are embroidered on each cuff of braid 1 inch below the upper edge in gold bullion, synthetic metallic gold, or gold-colored nylon or rayon. General officer grade insignia is centered on the outside of the sleeves 1 inch above the upper edge of the cuff braid. When general officers wear their branch insignia, it is centered on the outside of the sleeves 1 inch above the upper edge of the cuff braid. Grade insignia is positioned 1 inch above the branch insignia. If branch insignia is worn, general officers will wear the nonsubdued metal pin-on insignia. Grade insignia is embroidered silver bullion. General officer stars are 1 inch in diameter and are worn with one point facing upward. The following describes general officer stars:

(a) General insignia is four stars with 1–1/4 inches between the midpoints and with the stars centered horizontally

on the outside of the sleeves (see fig 16–5).

(b) Lieutenant general insignia is three stars with 1 –3/8 inches between the midpoints and with the middle star

centered horizontally on the outside of the sleeves (see fig 16–6).

on the outside of the sleeves (see fig 16–7).

(d) Brigadier general insignia is one star centered horizontally on the outside of the sleeves (see fig 16–8).

(2) Other commissioned and warrant officers wear a 3/4-inch braid consisting of two 1/4-inch, two-vellum gold,

synthetic metallic gold, or gold-colored nylon or rayon braids placed on each sleeve, 1/4 inch apart on a silk stripe of the first-named color of their basic branch. The bottom of the braid is positioned parallel to and 3 inches above the bottom edge of each sleeve. A trefoil is attached to the upper edge of the braid on each sleeve. It consists of a knot composed of three loops, one large upper loop and two small lower loops of 1/4-inch gold, synthetic metallic gold, or gold-colored braid, interlaced at the points of crossing with the ends of the knots resting on the sleeve braid. Officer grade insignia (nonsubdued pin-on or embroidered silver bullion) is worn vertically in the center of the space formed by the lower curves of the knot and the upper edge of the braid (see figs 16–9 and 16–10).

(3) Enlisted personnel wear a 1/8-inch soutache braid of gold-colored nylon or rayon 3 inches above the bottom of

each sleeve (see fig 16–11).