US Army Chemical Corps Insignia Set

Chemical Corps Officer Brass

This is a pair of US Army officer branch insignia for the Chemical Corps, still mounted on the issue card it was supplied on. Officers wear branch insignia on the lapels of the service coat to show which branch they belong to, and the Chemical Corps device is crossed retorts behind a blue benzene ring. The set suits uniform restorers, reenactors, and collectors of Army insignia who want an authentic government-contract pair.

Features

• One Matched Pair — The card holds two identical insignia, one for each lapel, as marked "1 PR" on the label.
• Officer Branch Of Service Pattern — The card identifies them as "Insignia, BOS, Officers", the cutout style worn by commissioned officers rather than the disc style worn by enlisted soldiers.
• Crossed Retorts — The two gold-tone retorts, the long-necked glass vessels used in chemistry labs, form the base of the design.
• Blue Enamel Benzene Ring — A hexagon filled with blue enamel and outlined in gold sits over the retorts, its six points standing for the carbon and hydrogen atoms in the C6H6 benzene formula.
• Branch Colors — The blue and gold finish follows the Chemical Corps branch colors of cobalt blue piped with golden yellow.
• National Stock Number — The card carries NSN 8455-00-265-1734, the National Stock Number the military supply system uses to catalog this exact item.
• 1983 DLA Contract — Markings show contract DLA100-83-C-4295 and the date A-8/83, placing this pair in a 1983 Defense Logistics Agency procurement.
• Original Issue Card — Both pieces are mounted on the printed government card, which makes them easy to store, display, or file with a uniform.

Issue Card And Contract

The Chemical Corps began as the Chemical Warfare Service during World War I and took its current name in 1946. This pair dates from the 1983 Army green service uniform era, and the card's NSN and contract number tie it to government supply rather than a commercial maker. For anyone building a period officer's coat or adding to an insignia collection, the matched, carded pair with full issue markings is what separates genuine kit from loose, unidentified brass.