Soft shoulder boards are three-quarters the size of the hard shoulder boards that are worn primarily by Officers with white dress and service uniforms. These smaller combination insignias, which replicate the sleeve stripes and corps/branch device found on many Navy/Coast Guard uniforms, are designed to be secured to the shoulders of shirts, sweaters, and sometimes lightweight windbreakers or other outer garments by inserting the epaulets (or “epaulettes”) of those more casual garments through the elastic, tubelike opening on the bottom of the device. Among the garments on which soft shoulder boars are worn on are white dress shirts, V-neck sweaters, and maternity sweaters.
Use the drop-down selection box to select the appropriate Flag Officer rank. Currently, the highest-ranking officer in the United States Maritime Service is a two-star Rear Admiral assigned as Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.