The rank insignia for an Airman is a single chevron, typically referred to as a “stripe” because its lines do not form as acute an angle as used on chevrons of other military services or those found in heraldic imagery. When the United States Air Force was established as a distinct military branch unto itself in 1947, it used Army insignia and enlisted rank titles as a temporary measure, so the original U.S. Airman rank (E-2 pay grade) was called Private First class and its personnel wore a single, upward pointing chevron. The Air Force reversed the direction of its insignia chevrons in 1948, only bringing back the upward-pointing variant when the addition of two new pay grades necessitated the need for different insignia elements to make it simpler to readily distinguish ranks.
Please use the drop-down selection boxes to the right to select the appropriate Airman chevron for your need. Choosing the Style is simple: the “ABU” chevrons are worn only on the Airman Battle Uniform, which the Air Force began to phase out with the introduction of the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) utility uniform. The mandatory possession date for the OCP is 1 April 2021, but the Air Force began offering them at some base exchanges on 1 October 2018. (You can purchase OCP chevrons using the "OCP/ABU" link below.)
More E-2 Airman Insignia and Devices
Selecting a size is a bit more complicated in that women personnel are given the option of wearing the larger (4-inch) or small (3.5-inch) chevrons on a variety of uniforms. But small chevrons are always worn on the sleeves of shirts and blouses, while the large chevron is always worn by Enlisted personnel on the Chef’s coat.
E-2 Airmen have the option of wearing either Large or Small sew-on chevrons on the sleeves of the Topcoat and All-Weather Coat in lieu of the pin-on metal insignia typically worn on the coat collars.