What are some traditions in Navy frocking?

2015-05-22T05:03:31-04:00

I was informed by command triad yesterday of my advancement. In previous command, I have seen one sailor had the chain providing a patch for SDW rating insignia sew on a canvas with each stroke per person in the department. She framed it along with her Shadow Box. So I was wondering, what are some of the Navy traditions for frocking?

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made May 22 at 2015 5:14 AM

2015-05-22T05:14:43-04:00

Congratulations PO3 Private RallyPoint Member! I attended a "Tacking on of the Crow" ceremony in which a number of sailors took turns stitching the crow to the sleeve of a newly promoted petty officer. I remember being worried that they might actually be stitching them onto his arm.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made May 22 at 2015 4:59 PM

2015-05-22T16:59:10-04:00

The tacking I got to suffer involved my shipmates punching the crow into the arm or collar. They were pretty pissed when they found out I had a sponge taped to my arm under the shirt.

Best to find out what the local "Tacking" culture is.

Congrats.

Response by PO2 Michael Stinar made May 27 at 2015 12:37 PM

2015-05-27T12:37:42-04:00

Well, I don't know if they still do this anymore, however when I was in service, it was ONE PUNCH to the Insignia Arm for every Chevron you were recieving, by every person (generally friends), however non freinds usually got in on the action also. However again - like I said; I don't know if they are still doing this or not in this Politically Correct Military we have now.......

Response by PO1 Sean Reynolds made May 27 at 2015 2:36 PM

2015-05-27T14:36:05-04:00

We use to "tack" on the crow which was giving them a love tap (frog punch) on the left arm on the crow. Other then that first round was on newly rated individuals and then we bought all their drinks the rest of the celebration.

Just one question though. Who has a shadow box while they are still in?

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2015 7:06 PM

2015-05-27T19:06:49-04:00

HM3,

A tradition that (as of 2000-2004) was still carried over from the 19th century was "wetting the swab." Basically, any time an officer got a new set of shoulder boards, all of his friends had to buy him a drink.

I'm sure it could work for any new collar device, provided that all are of legal drinking age.

Response by PO1 Aaron Baltosser made May 27 at 2015 8:50 PM

2015-05-27T20:50:37-04:00

Sewing the new rate on a top by each member of the department offering a piece of advice fir every stitch placed. The intention was to give enough good advice that the new rate stays on.

Response by PO1 Kevin Goldston made May 28 at 2015 12:36 AM

2015-05-28T00:36:23-04:00

I don't remember ever having having rank "stitched" on. BUT........ The dolphins were tacked on for a whole day (I used a pink pearl rubber eraser as a backing in my shirt). Then when we hit port, the Capt. did the formal, those earning the dolphins started a tab at the club. THEN at some point you drank your dolphins out of a pitcher of the most vile alcoholic and dishwater solution you ever saw. Oh and you came up with 'em in your mouth, then prompting ran out the door and started the purge........ I woke up on the golf course between the club and the tender in Rota at 4AM where I had passed out in the catus. I got back to the boat, and got the Lancher rover to pull some of the tines out till the Corpsman got up.

BTW its a long walk back to the boat and the base shuttles shut down I believe at 1AM.

I was a hurting unit for a week! But I damn sure remember being proud of those dolphins!

Oh as to tacking them on, my chest was black and blue!

Response by SN Craig Ralston made May 28 at 2015 12:55 AM

2015-05-28T00:55:49-04:00

When I was in it was "tacking" on the crow, but it was done by only the service members of that rank.

Response by CPO William Zaczek made May 28 at 2015 9:01 AM

2015-05-28T09:01:16-04:00

Frocking is a U.S. military term for persons selected for promotion to allow them to wear the insignia of the higher grade and all the benefits of such without the pay before the official date of promotion (the "date of rank"). Frocking is a result of the fact that the number of people who may serve in a particular rank is restricted by federal law. Thus, even though an individual may have been selected for promotion and, for officers, confirmed by the Senate, they must often wait for a vacancy (headroom) to occur in order to be officially promoted. Frocking customs and policies vary across military services, particularly for enlisted members; in the United States Army a general officer may request authority to frock soldiers of his command; in the United States Air Force, only senior field grade and general officers are usually frocked. The United States Navy makes use of frocking much more frequently than do the Army and the Air Force. An example of this is when all new chief petty officers of the United States Navy are frocked on September 16 of each year, although their official date of rank will be at different times over the next year.

Response by CPO Michael Callegri made May 29 at 2015 4:18 PM

2015-05-29T16:18:52-04:00

Reading all the discussion here are interesting, but it seems terms are being mixed up. Frocking or to be frocked basically means to have your crow or anchors pinned on you before your real advancement date. Tacking is the pretty much what is being discussed here. What used to really happened was stopped just before I retired and in some instances for a good reason. Normally when your crow was tacked on they would "tack" or punch your arm where the crow was. I have seen people with black and blue arms afterward, as some people took that as a time to take a cheap shot and the person that was advanced. If they are now sewing on your crow, it's still a great sign of respect to acknowledge your accomplishment.

Response by PO3 Jennifer McMullin made Jun 4 at 2015 1:34 AM

2015-06-04T01:34:01-04:00

Everyone above rank was allowed to "tack" on your chevron by punching you in the shoulder.