Still on vacation running around doing interesting things, but couldn't skip Manic Monday. If you are part of a military family, you immediately jump to "Earning One's Stripes" when you see the word stripe. It is the way the service personnel are rewarded for performance and indicate the rank they have attained.
One of the best places to get a general overview of the services, and a good first stop place for anyone considering the military as a career is Grunts Dot Com. By the time someone coming up through the ranks reaches Master Sergeant, they have usually devoted 15 to 20 years of their working life to the service of the country.
