In
accordance with Reference Manual 43
(RM-43), Section 10, Proposal & Feedback, I am proposing the following
addition to Section 3, Wear and Appearance Standards – Accessories. Specifically, I am proposing that the
following be added to Section 3 which would authorize the wear of the
Department of the Interior (DOI) Length of Service award to qualified
individuals:
DOI
Length of Service Pin
- The Department of the Interior (DOI) Length of Service Pins may be worn by individuals who have earned the pins in recognition of milestones in the employee’s career.
- When worn on dress coats, the DOI Length of Service Pin will be worn centered on the left lapel.
-
The
Length of Service Pin may also be worn on shirts, sweaters, and field jackets
centered ¼-inch above the name bar.
-
In
cases where a Commemorative Pin is also approved for wear, it will be up to the
discretion of the individual which pin to wear, although both pins may not be
worn at the same time.
JUSTIFICATION
The
approaching centennial of the National Park Service (NPS) in 2016 has caused
many to reexamine and reconnect with the heritage and traditions of the
organization. The use of uniforms by NPS
employees is a one of those long-established traditions, originating with U.S.
Army soldiers who guarded the parks in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. The first authorized uniform
for National Park rangers made its appearance in 1911 and rules for proper wear
of the uniform were soon established.
These
new policies included the use of insignia to acknowledge the service of
individuals. In fact, a service stripe
was authorized for wear as early as January 1915, more than a year and a half
before the creation of the NPS. Over the
following decades uniform regulations were periodically updated and soon
service stars were added.
In
1959 a task force worked on revising uniform regulations. Various comments were solicited from
employees in the field and their suggestions were presented to the task force
including pleas to retain the length-of-service insignia. Nevertheless, the use of service stars and
stripes continued until 1961 when they were replaced with the DOI Service Pins.
DOI
Service Pins have been issued to employees since 1961. The regulations issued then state:
The Departmental length-of-service emblems or Departmental Award emblems may be worn, by those employees who have received them, in the left lapel buttonhole of the dress coat.
NPS
uniform policies received no major revisions for the next twenty-six
years. The next significant changes were
issued in 1985 and included a provision that length-of-service pins were not to be worn. By 1993, length-of-service pins were not
mentioned in the uniform regulations at all.
Current
NPS regulations – Reference Manual 43,
Uniforms, dated October 2000 – also do not mention the wear of the DOI
Length of Service Pins although the now-expired Director’s Order 43 (effective October 2000 through September 2005)
does contain a prohibition against the wear of length-of-service pins. Surprisingly, employees are still issued them
in accordance with current NPS policy.
It
therefore makes sense that the DOI Length of Service Pins should be authorized
to wear on uniforms. These emblems
should be used to not only recognize the hard work and commitment of NPS
employees but also to continue a tradition that began over 100 years ago. Moreover, uniforms build esprit de corps among those who wear them, and the use of Length of
Service Pins would strengthen the pride NPS employees already have when wearing
their uniforms. Perhaps NPS Director Jon
Jarvis put it best when he said:
Today, the gray and green colors, the distinctive flat hat, and the arrowhead patch are symbols of the National Park Service. Many people fought long and hard to create this national identity for the Service. Wearing the uniform is both a privilege and a great responsibility…Wear your uniforms well, and wear them with pride.
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