C.a.p. Rank Structure
The that was used during differs from the current system. The used for the insignia's design was defined as either silver grey on dark blue, on dark blue, or on dark blue (as seen in the charts below). This scheme of rank insignia was established by War Department Circular No.
303 on 5 August 1920 and would see two significant changes in 1942. The usage of this style of insignia was ended by Department of the Army Circular No. 202, dated 7 July 1948, which provided for significant changes in both rank and insignia. Main article: The rank of Private Specialist, usually just called a Specialist, had the command responsibilities and official insignia of a Private First Class, but also conveyed higher pay depending on the specialty and skill.
While the official insignia was just a single chevron, it was not uncommon for commanders to authorize local use of specialist insignia which consisted of one chevron and one to six rockers depending on the pay grade of the specialist (one rocker at Grade 6, six rockers at Grade 1) and a specialty symbol located between the chevron and the first rocker. These were often identical to a specialty symbol which had been authorized for use during World War I. 1942 changes 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade No Insignia M/Sgt. Technicians On January 8, 1942, under War Department Circular No.
5, the ranks of (T/3), (T/4), and (T/5) were created and replaced the existing specialist ranks. Initially, these ranks used the same insignia as the Staff Sergeant, Sergeant, and Corporal, but on September 4, 1942, Change 1 to AR 600-35 added a 'T' for 'Technician' to the standard design that corresponded with that grade. Despite that, as with the Specialists that they replaced, unofficial insignia using a specialty symbol instead of the T were used in some units. A technician was generally not addressed as such, but rather as the equivalent line rank in its pay grade (T/5 as Corporal; T/4 as Sergeant; T/3 as Sergeant or Staff Sergeant). Officially, a technician did not have the authority to give commands or issue orders but could under combat conditions be placed second in command of a squad by a Sergeant. Unofficially, most units treated them as though they were of the equivalent rank of the same pay grade.
The Technician ranks were removed from the rank system in 1948. The concept was brought back with ranks of in 1955. Technical Sergeant Technical Sergeant was renamed Sergeant First Class in 1948. However, it still survives as an Air Force rank.
First Sergeant On September 22, 1942, in Change 3, AR 600-35, the rank of (1st Sgt.) was increased from 2nd Grade to 1st Grade in pay. The insignia was changed to add third rocker to match the other 1st Grade rank, Master Sergeant. A hollow lozenge placed in the angle of the chevrons has been the distinguishing indicator of a First Sergeant in the U.S. Army since 1847.
C.a.p. Rank Structure
Pay grades In 1902, the system was modified as to be numbered in reverse order. During World War II, '1st Grade' signified the highest enlisted grade and downward from there with '7th Grade' indicating the lowest.
In 1948, the pay grades were reversed back to the original system with '1st Grade' being the lowest enlisted grade. Starting in 1951, an 'E' —which stands for '— was used to represent a pay grade. Abbreviations As seen in the comparative chart below, the ranks during were not abbreviated the same as they currently are today having all letters.
Rather, only the first letter was capitalized, followed by the rest of the abbreviated word in the lower case, and a period to indicate it as being an abbreviation. In some cases, two or more letters were capitalized with a slash mark after the first letter to indicate there was more than one word in the full title of the rank. See the comparative chart below. Comparative chart Some ranks are not included in the chart for a proper comparison. Full title Current abbreviation World War II abbreviation References. ↑ Sources.
C.a.p. Rank Structure List
entry from the Saving Private Ryan online encyclopedia. See also. This page uses content from (.