Blood stripe

Modified versions are worn on the officers' evening dress uniforms, with the scarlet flanked with gold trim, and on members of the Marine Band, which wear the traditional red stripe with a white stripe in the center.

[1] These original stripes were buff white to match changes to the uniform jacket, but when the jacket was changed back to dark blue with red trim in 1839, the stripes remained, but altered to a similar blue edged in red.

Naval Institute history of USMC uniforms records that orders issued in January 1840 provided that officers and non commissioned officers were to wear a scarlet stripe down the outside seam of their blue trousers.

Such a stripe of that time was normally reserved for officers, but due to the casualties among the officers of the battle, the NCOs led the remainder of the assault, and hence the stripe recognizes the leadership role of NCOs thereafter.

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