Steve Dutch
Jul 24, 2017 · 1 min read

I love it in the Da Vinci Code where the symbolism “expert” explains that an upward V is a phallic symbol, which is why military chevrons point that way, and a downward V is a vagina symbol. I love it when a work shows the author to be so clueless it’s fair to disregard everything he says.

Dan-o needs to watch some Westerns and Civil War flicks. I think we can reasonably assume the Battle of Gettysburg or the Little Big Horn were fairly masculine affairs, yet all the NCO’s went into battle wearing vagina symbols, since military chevrons pointed down in those days. U.S. Army chevrons were flipped around the time of World War I, though there’s no real record why. One theory is that it was to distinguish us more easily from Europeans. Marine Corps chevrons also point up. Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy chevrons continue to point down. Insert joke about “In the Navy” here. Most foreign military chevrons continue to point downward. If you want to tell a Turk or Greek he’s effeminate for wearing a chevron pointing down, you tell him. I’ll whip up a bowl of popcorn and watch.

    Steve Dutch

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