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

I wasn’t in long enough for my good conduct to matter apparently. Honestly, though, just because the math added up to gold and I saw red instead, I didn’t see that sailor as any less. It made me mildly curious at best.

It is what it is. I mean, it's more of how many chevrons you have when you put on gold. If you're wearing two instead of three it's a little embarrassing. Other than that nobody cares. Though a Red Chief will turn a head or two even more so for senior or master, they tend to get a touch more respect for the red on their arms in a chew out session but their still a chief in the end.

In my day we referred to them as hash marks, ,one hash mark for every 4 years served. If you managed not to go to mast when you reached 12 years of service they became gold . Now that does not mean an individual did not have diseplenary actions taken upon them during that time, they just did not go to mast. I think no less of a fellow sailor just because they have red hash marks after 12 plus years of service. Also it is 12 conservative years of service with no njp, so senior leadership could possibly have red at 12 years, but if they stayed in long enough they could earn the gold.

26 years both regular and Reserve I retired with gold. Yes, I was no angel and I have to credit it to not get in caught especially during the salad days of my first and enlistment

Retired USAF here- what are service stripes?

Gold means you followed the rules. Red means you didn't. .... Fortune favors the Bold. The game players can now be permitted to go home and play with your toys.

To me, the gold / red service stripes meant toeing the line as far as your behavior, deportment, and well-being in the USN..I thought is was a mark of distinction for a Naval serviceman to be entitled to wear the gold service bars. It showed others that one can be a GOOD sailor and still be human and approachable Petty Officer. I never had a bad feeling for those who went out with the red stripes ,either...One was really no better than the other except in the fitness report...which was confidential to prying eyes...and let's face it, one's service stripe colors never changed the fact that they were GUNG-HO Sailors...God bless you all !!

Firstly I'm not Navy but My Dad was. ( I was Air Force) Seems to Me that maybe red stripes up until 12 years service then Gold Stripes 12 and over ? The Gold would then represent experience and not be branded as at some point You made a mistake. Its human nature to make mistakes, that's what We do, as long as it corrected and We learn from it why should a person be branded forever ?

Red is the measure of a man who would lay his life down for you. Don’t get me wrong, many “gold” would as well but it certainly is no measure of loyalty.

Matters not to me. I got a One WEEK
Early out & Got NO STRIPE !!!!’