To the Navy members.... What is your opinion of Red vs. Gold Service Stripes?

If the Navy wanted us to behave they wouldn’t give us a medal for doing it.

It doesn't gain you anything other than gold stripes. I got 'em and it didn't help me get promoted....

If you don't have anything on your Page 11...then you ain't Shit! Fuck them gold stripes!

While the gold stripes look impressive, every sailor can't be a saint. I was on my way gold when one small screw up had me standing before the man at the green table, and while the end result was nothing more than a severe ass chewing, it still went on my record, and disqualified me. I got out shortly thereafter because the changes implemented in the mid-90s made thing far too political for my liking.

My dad retired with 30 yrs of service as a SCPO. He had red hash marks. He always said he didn't want to spend the money on the gold ones.

I had dinner with General Krulak the elder probably around 1980. He told many stories of the crimes he commited as a junior officer along with his peers. He commented it was a pity that if any officer today did what he had they would fail promotion.

So, the red stripes are meant to openly shame, the service member? That’s a little bizarre, isn’t it?

Had some rough sailing in his time..

I'm gonna add something else too, it's funny how the rank charts show red stripes only for E1 to E6 because they even know that real sailors mess up every now and again.

My daddy was a red stripe MCPO as he did something stupid as a young sailor and it never hurt his career. He made E8 as an ETCS on nuke fast attacks in 10 years and made E9 in 15. He taught at code 10/14 in new London at the sub school and wrote alot of the electronics manuals that submariners used during his time and was COB on quite a few boats and MCPO on a few sub tenders so it didn't matter in his day but in this politically correct day and age it might be time to get rid of the scarlet letter as it's not the badge of honor it use to be and it's not fair to good sailors to be looked down upon for a youthful indiscretion.