Выучите следующие слова (к тексту 3.6)

United States Army officer rank insignia

The highest Army rank is known as General of the Armies. No insignia has ever been authorized for the rank, and it has only been held by two people in history: John J. Pershing and George Washington.

The structure of U.S. ranks has its roots in British military traditions. At the start of the American War of Independence, uniforms, let alone insignia, were barely affordable and recognition of ranks in the field was problematic. To solve this, Gen. George Washington wrote: «As the Continental Army has unfortunately no uniforms, many inconveniences must arise from this situation – there is no way to distinguish the commissioned officer from the privates. So it is necessary to provide some badge of distinction immediately: for instance the field officers may have red or pink colored cocrades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff.»

From 1780, regulation prescribed two stars for major generals and one star for brigadier generals worn on shoulder boards, or epaulettes.

The period of 1821 to 1832 witness a brief period of using chevrons to identify officer grades, a practice that is still observed at West Point for cadet officers.

Colonels received their eagle in 1832, and four years later lieutenant colonels were using oak leaves and captain and first lieutenant their respective double and single bars. Both majors and second lieutenants had no specific insignia. A major would have been recognizable as he would have worn the more elaborate epaulette fringes of a senior field officer but without insignia. The color of insignia was gold on silver epaulettes in the infantry and vice versa in the other branches until 1851 when insignia became universally silver on gold for senior officers and gold for the bars of captains and first lieutenants. The reason for the choice of silver eagles over gold ones is thought to be one of economy; there were more infantry colonels than cavalry and artillery so it was cheaper to replace the numerically fewer gold ones.

1. barely – едва
2. affordable – позволительный
3. recognition – опознание, узнавание
4. inconveniences – неудобства
5. to distinguish – отличать, различать
6. badge of distinguish – знак отличия
7. buff – темно-желтый цвет, цвет буйволовой кожи
8. bringe – бахрома, кайма
9. elaborate – искусно сделанный, сложный

1. Personal papers – личные документы

2. identification tag – личный знак

3. identification card – удостоверение личности

4. pay data card – расчетная книжка

5. liberty pass – увольнительная записка

6. operators permit – удостоверение водителя

7. individual sick slip – медицинская книжка

8. service number – личный номер

3.6. Прочитайте текст и найдите ответы на вопросы:

1. What personal papers have servicemen?
2. How many identification tags must each serviceman wear?
3. What do these tags contain?
4. Whom are pay data cards given to?
5. When are liberty passes given to soldiers?
6. Whom is US government operator’s permit given to?

Servicemen have the following personal papers: identification tags, identification card, pay data card and such other papers as liberty passes, operators permit, individual sick slip and so on.

Two identification tags are what each serviceman must wear on his neck in the field, when traveling by air, or when outside the continental United States.

The identification tags contain the last name, first name and middle initial of the servicemen; his service number dates that tetanus toxoid injections were given, blood type and religion.

The main document to identify a serviceman is the identification card. Identification cards of enlisted men and commissioned officers are equal in form.

They contain the photo, name, service number, grade, arm or service, station where the card was issued, birth date, height, weight, color of hair and eyes, race, sex, blood type, holders’ fingerprints, and signature of the issuing officer.

Pay data cards are given to each serviceman as to record of his pay status. A government operator’s permit is given to drivers of various vehicles who have passed the examinations.

Liberty passes are given to soldiers, when they go on pass.

3.7. Просмотрите текст (3.6) еще раз и скажите, какие данные содержатся в удостоверении личности военнослужащих ВС США? Заполните таблицу.

1. the photo

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16. signature of the issuing officers

Дата добавления: 2014-12-25