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Badges
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National Park Service Uniforms Badges and Insignia 1894-1991 |
Number 1 |
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In addition to the metal badges, the National Park Service has authorized three cloth badges over the years. Some people think of these as patches, but because they were designed to denote the authority of the wearer they are properly considered badges.
Two of these were issued to lifeguards. The first cloth badge (1937) was made out of olive green gabardine, with U.S. PARK LIFE GUARD and an eagle and other symbols embroidered in yellow. Under the eagle is a yellow bar with NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/DEPT OF THE INTERIOR embroidered in white. This badge was to be worn on the lower right side of the bathing suit. There are no known photographs of lifeguards wearing this badge.
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1937-1953 Olive green gabardine with yellow and white embroidery | |
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In 1953, in keeping with the Service's attempt to associate all its activities and locations with its new emblem, the 1937 badge was replaced with one incorporating a variation of the arrowhead. The new badge consisted of a light brown arrowhead with a dark brown border. At the top was NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, and below was DEPT OF THE INTERIOR, both embroidered in black. In the center was embroidered LIFE GUARD in large white letters. With slight variations in size and style, this badge is still worn today.
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1953-present Light brown cloth with dark brown border, black & white embroidery | |
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The third cloth badge, or badge patch, as it is called, was authorized in 1991. The general statement, prepared by John Townsend, in the 1990 uniform committee recommendations regarding situations in which this badge patch should be worn best defines its use: "The badge patch is to be worn on special purpose outerwear not normally part of the uniform where identification of the wearer as an NPS employee is essential to the performance of the employee's mission and where the employee would wear a regular gold badge if dressed in a standard uniform." Specific applications for this badge are "raid" vests, snow machine suits, flight suits, survival suits, and tactical vests.
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1991
Badge patch used on outer garments where metal badges
would be inappropriate | |
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Last Modified: Thurs, Jul 28 2000 07:08:48 am PDT
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/workman1/vol1c9.htm
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