what does the red stripe on the marine uniform mean
Blood stripe Tradition holds that in the Battle of Chapultepec in Mexico on September 1847, Marine officers and NCOs sustained an unusually high casualty rate during the battle.[4][clarification needed] In 1849, uniform regulations dictated that the stripes be changed to a solid red in honor of the numerous Marine deaths. Ten years later, a scarlet cord was inserted into the outer seams for noncommissioned officers and musicians, while a scarlet welt was added for officers. Finally, in 1904, the simple scarlet stripe seen today was adopted, with the varying widths prescribed for different ranks.
Infantry Blue Cord A light-blue cord was created to be worn over the right shoulder of both officers and enlisted men. Also, light-blue plastic disks were issued to be placed behind the metal "crossed rifles" Infantry branch of service insignia disks as well as on the disc service cap insignia. The new enhancements were first worn by the 3rd US Infantry Regiment ("The Old Guard"). The light-blue cord and disks became standard for all Infantrymen in 1952.