Should the Army bring back the Specialist titles?

I served in the Army from 1989-1993 ended with the rank of Sergeant. What struck me in my four years and especially through PLDC, was the difference between those who were combat arms; 13B, 13M and 11B, 11C to those who were medics, cooks, mechanics, etc. The Combat arms wanted to learn how to be leaders, the rest were going through the motion and mostly complained about map reading, night maneuvers and infantry tactics. It was then that I questioned WHY the army took away the specialist ranks. Before that they were called Tech Sergeants. Bring those ranks back.

I think this would be awesome! I prefer to mentor Soldiers than lead them. I have been fortunate that all of my Soldiers didn't require the need to be 'lead'. This would allow those like me to excel in the Army, goes to my belief that we should be tested in order to be promoted.

I agree! There are many enlisted technical experts who deserve SPC-8 or SPC-9 who do not get the pay due to what is required or available for MSG/1SG or SGM slots.

If they had brought them back I may have considered staying in. I chose not to be a leader because to be honest it was just not my thing. I would have much more preferred to do my job and do it well. I had no problem following the orders of anyone that was higher rank . It did not make me any less capable of doing my job and if anything it made me more capable. I did not have to worry about what a bunch of troops under me were doing and I was able to focus more clearly on the job at hand. Before I get hurt at work and became disabled I was a darn good diesel mechanic and used my military discipline and work ethic at my job. I went into work and focused on the task at hand and did not worry about what anyone else was doing but was always happy to help someone out and be part of the team when needed. Not everyone is cut from the same cloth and not every one wants to be a leader BUT they can still be a very valuable member of a team and make the team function better by being part of that team.

One of the biggest mistakes the Army did when it took the SPC ranks away. NOT ALL SOLDIERS ARE LEADERS. No matter how much the Army wants to think every soldier needs a hard stripe, not all are leaders. Everyone of us has seen those with stripes who are not leaders, but know their jobs. The SPC ranks enabled these soldiers to progress up the ladder and yet not have the responsibility they can't handle.

Personally sir I see no reason why they shouldn't bring the Specialst rank back. They may not have all the authority of a hard stripe, but the are in a class of their own. This would free up those that are hard stripes to do their jobs.

And FYI anyone who says specialists aren't leaders is a fool, and either didn't spend anytime as one or was in a crap MOS and got promoted faster than needed.

On the surface, this seems like a good idea. But to me it would raise questions. What about soldiers that advanced to SP6 rank and were then eligible for promotion? With little to no leadership training, they would be thrust into the senior NCO ranks.
If that wasn't the case, you would have people that were technically proficient and worthy of promotion to SP5 and SP6, but no further. It seems to me there would have to be some leadership training along the way to make sure that when the soldier did make the transfer from SP5 or 6 to a leadership role, that soldier would be prepared.

No. Such things encourage a mindset that there are "soldiers" and there are "others". It discourages synergy and unity of effort by keeping people in separate categories with different standards. There should be one standard for being a soldier, one standard for being a leader--and then many opportunities to be both. While not everyone is or should be a leader, some are better than the rest, some better than the best. They should get promotions. There should not be anything wrong with being the best soldier you can be at a certain rank, such as a truck driver. Long ago we had people who were excellent truck drivers who were happy being truck drivers and they were happy to retire as a Staff Sergeant with 20 years. Then the up-or-out mentality made some of them terrible motor pool sergeants. We lost experienced truck drivers.
In my field you had to fight to be a Buck Sergeant rather than a SP5. As a result we didn't get some of the basic leadership experiences a Sergeant needs, such as during guard duty. No, a SP5 could drive the guard truck, but not command a relief. And then you made SSG and didn't know what to do...as SP7 was a legal clerk or a stenographer, and yet they would magically become a Master Sergeant or Sgt Major...sometimes in over their heads when it came to being a Sergeant. Of course, let's not paint everyone with one brush. Some of us sought higher responsibility, and learned the ropes. However, not everyone had the opportunity to be a green tab leader. Our Army cannot afford to shut those doors.

They should be brought back, everyone isnt able to lead. Those that are good at what they do technically might not be comfortable on the leadership side and that should be ok.