On the Operational Dress Uniform (ODU), Lieutenant Commanders in the Coast Guard wear embroidered, sew-on collar insignia to display their rank. Introduced in 2000, the ODU has been the subject of much less controversy than uniform roll-outs conducted by other branches of the Armed Forces of the United States, and in fact it has been adopted by both the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service for wear by Officers in their Commissioned Corps.
For proper placement of the Lieutenant Commander’s gold oak leaf on the collars of the ODU, picture a line running through the middle of the collar point equally. With the oak leaf in a vertical, stem-down orientation, tilt it inboard and place it on the collar so the line also bisects the insignia. Keeping the insignia centered on the line, move it toward the collar point until the bottom of the insignia is 1-1/8th inches from the collar point.