Uniforms

The uniforms of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary serve to distinguish Auxiliarists from members of other civilian auxiliaries and of other armed services. Auxiliarists are expected to wear a uniform intended for the situation and mission. Each auxiliary uniform is identical to a Coast Guard officer's military uniform, with the exception that the buttons and stripes on dress jackets and shoulder boards are silver in color, rather than gold. On dress uniforms, appointed staff officers wear insignia with a red "A" and elected officers wear insignia with a blue "A", while black "A"s are worn on insignia by both elected and appointed officers on the ODU uniform. Auxiliarists are expected to adhere to the same rules of correct uniform wear as regular Coast Guard officers. When augmenting Coast Guard personnel, the military-style insignia of Auxiliary position is generally removed and the organizational insignia is worn.