Cermony for Change of WO Branch and CW5 Insignia

Warrant Officer Historical Foundation
(formerly Warrant Officers Heritage Foundation)
A Non-Profit 501 (c) (3) Public Charity
Preserving Army Warrant Officer History™
Founded May 29, 2003

All Army Activities Message

Ceremonial Exchange of Insignia of Branch for Warrant Officers

and of Insignia of Grade for the Grade of CW5

(Formatted for the web)

UNCLAS

PRECEDENCE TO: PRIORITY DTG: 101853Z MAY 04

FROM :DA ARMY STAFF,:DCS G1,:MILITARY PERSONNEL ACCESSIONS, SUBJECT: CEREMONIAL EXCHANGE OF INSIGNIA OF BRANCH FOR WARRANT OFFICERS AND OF INSIGNIA OF GRADE FOR THE GRADE OF CW5.

TO: ALARACT

SUBJECT: CEREMONIAL EXCHANGE OF INSIGNIA OF BRANCH FOR WARRANT OFFICERS AND OF INSIGNIA OF GRADE FOR THE GRADE OF CW5.

1. REFERENCE: ALARACT MESSAGE R 231942Z MAR 04 SUBJECT CHANGES TO CW5 RANK INSIGNIA AND WARRANT OFFICERS BRANCH INSIGNIA AND COLORS.

2. CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY HAS DIRECTED THE WEAR OF INDIVIDUAL BRANCH INSIGNIA FOR ALL WARRANT OFFICERS IN LIEU OF THE "EAGLE RISING" INSIGNIA IAW PROVISIONS OUTLINED IN REFERENCE ABOVE. THESE CHANGES WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE 9 JULY 2004. CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION OF THIS SIGNIFICANT STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE ARMY'S WARRANT OFFICER CORPS IS ENCOURAGED FOR UNITS AT ALL LEVELS.

3. COMMANDERS MAY EMPLOY ANY STANDARD MILITARY CEREMONY AS A FRAMEWORK FOR RECOGNIZING INSIGNIA CHANGE. THE SCOPE OF SUCH CEREMONIES WILL BE DEPENDENT UPON UNIT MISSION INVOLVEMENT, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND SECURITY ENVIRONMENT CONSIDERATIONS. THE SCOPE AND CONDUCT OF CEREMONIES WILL BE ENTIRELY AT COMMANDER'S DISCRETION. THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OUTLINE A BASIC SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AND SPECIFIC VERBIAGE THAT MAY BE USED IN ANY CEREMONY TO COMMEMORATE THE INSIGNIA CHANGE.

4. GENERAL SEQUENCE:

A. UNIT IS FORMED AS APPROPRIATE WITH ALL CW5s IN A SEPARATE FORMATION. UNIT IS PRESENTED TO SENIOR COMMANDER AND HONORS TO THE NATION ARE RENDERED.

B. UNIT ADJUTANT OR OTHER NARRATOR MAY READ THE FOLLOWING: "IN THE EARLY 1970's, AS A RESULT OF EXPANDED WARRANT OFFICER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ARMY MISSION DURING THE VIETNAM CONFLICT, THE ARMY FIRST ENVISIONED THE TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL WARRANT OFFICER RANKS ABOVE THE RANK OF CW4. AT THAT TIME, INSIGNIA OF RANK WERE DEVELOPED AND APPROVED FOR THE RANKS OF CW5 AND CW6. THESE APPROVED INSIGNIA WERE ARCHIVED AS NO EXISTING GRADES CORRESPONDED TO THESE PROPOSED RANKS. ON 8 APRIL 1988, THE CURRENT CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FIVE INSIGNIA WAS APPROVED TO DESIGNATE CERTAIN CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FOURs AS MASTER WARRANT OFFICERS WHILE THE ARMY PURSUED LEGISLATIVE CHANGE TO ESTABLISHA A NEW SENIOR WARRANT OFFICER RANK. ON 5 DECEMBER 1991, THE GRADE AND RANK OF CW5 WAS ESTABLISHED IN LAW AND THE CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY APPROVED THE CONTINUED USE OF THE MASTER WARRANT OFFICER INSIGNIA AS THE INSIGNIA OF RANK FOR CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FIVE. TODAY, NONE OF OUR ORIGINAL MASTER WARRANT OFFICER DESIGNEES REMAIN ON ACTIVE STATUS. ALL HAVE EITHER BEEN PROMOTED TO CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FIVE, OR HAVE HONORABLY RETIRED FROM SERVICE IN THE ARMY. AS OF THIS DATE, 9 JULY 2004, BY ORDER OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY, PETER J. SCHOOMAKER, THE INSIGNIA ORIGINALLY APPROVED FOR THE RANK OF CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FIVE, A SILVER BAR WITH A SINGLE BLACK STRIPE CENTERED ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BAR, WILL BE WORN BY ALL ARMY WARRANT OFFICERS HOLDING THIS RANK.

C. THE SENIOR COMMANDER PRESENT SHOULD REMOVE THE OLD RANK INSIGNIA FOR EACH CW5 PRESENT AND IN TURN REPLACE IT WITH THE NEWLY DESIGNATED CW5 RANK INSIGNIA.

D. UPON COMPLETION OF THE RANK INSIGNIA EXCHANGE, THE SENIOR COMMANDER MAY DIRECT THE MOST SENIOR AND MOST JUNIOR QUALIFIED WARRANT OFFICER IN THE FORMATION TO POST FRONT AND CENTER OF THE FORMATION TO BEGIN THE BRANCH RECOGNITION OBSERVANCE.

E. THE SENIOR WARRANT OFFICER IN THE FORMATION SHOULD BE CALLED TO READ THE FOLLOWING: "TODAY WE RECOGNIZE A HISTORIC MILESTONE IN THE PROFESSIONAL EVOLUTION OF THE U.S. ARMY WARRANT OFFICER CORPS. TODAY THESE WARRANT OFFICERS EXCHANGE THE VENERABLE "EAGLE RISING" COLLAR INSIGNIA FOR THE EQUALLY VENERABLE INSIGNIA OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE BRANCHES. OVER THE MANY YEARS, BRANCHES HAVE BENEFITED IMMEASURABLY FROM THE PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND OPERATIONAL MILITARY ACUMEN OF THEIR WARRANT OFFICERS. THE TRADITIONAL WARRANT OFFICER COLLAR INSIGNIA, AN EAGLE RISING WITH WINGS DISPLAYED, STANDING ON A BUNDLE OF TWO ARROWS, ALL ENCLOSED IN A WREATH OF GOLD, IS A COMBINATION OF MILITARY SYMBOLS SIGNIFYING STRENGTH, ACHIEVEMENT AND PROWESS IN COMBAT. THE "EAGLE RISING" INSIGNIA, ORIGINALLY ADOPTED IN 1921, IS EMBLEMATIC OF A TIME WHEN WARRANT OFFICERS' TECHNICAL SKILLS AND DUTIES COULD BE TRANSFERRED BETWEEN SERVICE ARMS EASILY AND WITH LITTLE FORMAL TRAINING. THE CONTEMPORARY WARRANT OFFICER HAS VERY FOCUSED, COMPLEX AND SPECIFIC TECHNICAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES HONED THROUGH EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL TRAINING AND APPLIED TO THE MISSION OF A SINGLE BRANCH OR FUNCTIONAL AREA. IN RECOGNITION OF THE BRANCH FOCUSED ROLES AS SEASONED, SPECIALIZED TECHNICIANS, EFFECTIVE TODAY, 9 JULY 2004, BY ORDER OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY, WARRANT OFFICERS WILL WEAR THE INSIGNIA OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL BRANCH UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR SPECIFIC BRANCH TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS. AS A REMINDER OF THE PROUD HERITAGE AND TRADITIONS OF THE WARRANT OFFICER CORPS, WARRANT OFFICER CANDIDATES AND JUNIOR WARRANT OFFICERS WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR THE "EAGLE RISING" INSIGNIA UNTIL COMPLETION OF THEIR BRANCH BASIC TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION COURSES."

F. SENIOR WARRANT OFFICER RETURNS TO FORMATION FRONT CENTER WHERE SENIOR COMMANDER THEN REMOVES THE "EAGLE RISING" INSIGNIA FROM THE COLLAR OF THE SENIOR AND JUNIOR WARRANT OFFICER AND IN TURN REPLACES WITH APPROPRIATE BRANCH INSIGNIA.

G. APPROPRIATE GUEST SPEAKER REMARKS MAY BE INSERTED AS DESIRED, OR COMMENTS MAY BE INCLUDED REGARDING SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEW BRANCH INSIGNIA OF THE SENIOR AND JUNIOR WARRANT OFFICER INVOLVED.

H. UNIFORM FOR THE CEREMONY WILL BE APPROPRIATE DUTY UNIFORM AT COMMANDER'S DISCRETION.

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See also Message on Change to CW5 Rank, and Warrant Officer Insignia and Branch Colors.

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Updated June 1, 2015