The insignia on the Navy Enlisted E-1 – E-3 belt buckle is identical to the one used for as the cap device for Sailors in those rates: a silver eagle with spread wings and the letters “USN” positioned horizontally between the tips of the wings and centered above the eagle’s head.
Eagles in various forms have been used in devices, insignia, and seals to indicate ranks, rates, and ratings for scores of years in the United States Navy. The design of these eagles mimicked the French Imperial Eagle, often referred to as Napoleonic Eagles because it was associated with the standards carried into battle by the French Emperor’s armies. Unlike the eagles associated with Roman standards, Napoleonic Eagles were manufactured facing to the left (the viewer’s right)—a practice the Navy followed until 1941, when it mandated that the Eagle face to the wearer’s right (and toward the sword arm).