[200] CG: Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Award

Introducing project “Military Insignia 3D”, featuring top quality military heraldry designs. Here you will find customizable apparel, accessories, stationery, postage and gifts decorated with rank insignia of a Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO). Master Chief Petty Officer is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rate (paygrade E-9) in the Coast Guard, just above Senior Chief Petty Officer. They are referred to as Master Chief in most circumstances. They constitute the top 1% of the enlisted members of the maritime forces. Advancement to Master Chief Petty Officer is similar to that of Chief Petty Officer and Senior Chief Petty Officer. It carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and selection by a board of Master Chiefs. Similarly, Senior Chief Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers are chosen by selection boards. Petty Officers of all grades possess both a rate (the enlisted term for rank) and rating (job, similar to a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in other branches). The full title is a combination of the two. Thus, a Master Chief Petty Officer, who has the rating of Fire Controlman would properly be called a Master Chief Fire Controlman. Each rating has an official abbreviation, such as FC for Fire Controlman, FT for Fire Control Technician, or STS for Sonar Technician Submarines. When combined with the rate abbreviation, it produces the full rate designation, such as FCCM for Master Chief Fire Controlman. It is not uncommon practice to refer to the master chief by this short hand in all but the most formal correspondence (such as printing and inscription on awards). Mostly, though, they are simply called "Master Chief", regardless of rating. In certain rates, where the rate itself is split into two, or more designations, the third letter is often dropped when the rank of Master Chief is attained, such as STS (Sonar Technician, Submarines), and STG (Sonar Technician, Surface), upon reaching Master Chief, the final letter of the designation is dropped from the official abbreviation, and is shown as STCM, or Sonar Technician, Master Chief Petty Officer. The rate insignia for a master chief is a white eagle with spread wings above three chevrons. The chevrons are topped by an arc that goes behind the eagle. Two inverted silver stars (a reference to the stars used on the sleeves of line officers) are placed above the eagle. Between the arc and the top chevron is the specialty mark of the enlisted rating. In our case, the two crossed anchors is the specialty mark of a Boatswain's Mate (abbreviated as BM).