Insignia

For other uses, see Insignia (disambiguation).

Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall, U.S. Army receives the Medal of Honor in 2007 for extraordinary heroism in the Vietnam War (1965).

Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias (in Latin, insignia is the plural of singular insigne: emblem, symbol, ensign, badge of honor) : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction. An insignia is usually the emblem of a specific or general authority.

Typical examples of insignia are:

• Crowns
• Flags of a country or state
• Coats of arms and Heraldry
• Seals
• Ensigns
• Roundels
• Badges
• Cockades
• Other National Emblems
• Shoulder patch, or shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI)
• Military aircraft insignia
• Military rank and unit markings:
  • British Army officer rank insignia
  • British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
  • British Royal Air Force officer rank insignia
  • British Royal Air Force other rank insignia
  • British Royal Navy officer rank insignia
  • British Royal Navy ratings rank insignia
  • Croatian military ranks insignia
  • U.S. Army officer rank insignia
  • U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia
  • U.S. Navy officer rank insignia
  • U.S. Navy enlisted rate insignia
  • United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia
  • United States Air Force officer rank insignia
  • United States Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia
  • United States Marine Corps officer rank insignia
  • Polish Armed Forces rank insignia
  • Nazi Party rank insignia

Official insignia are often protected by law as to allow their use only by people holding a specific office or staff members acting on behalf of such a person. Misuse, defacement and destruction of such symbols is considered an offense in many countries.^{[clarification needed]}