What is the difference between a Specialist and a Corporal in the Army? Inquiring Marine minds want to know.

In Army Aviation we would promote our Flight Instructors and Standardization Instructors from SPC to CPL after 2 months in the position. Because they had become leaders not worker bees.

Specialist is a technical position and a Corporal is in a leadership position. E.g. E4 in a team leader position where the TOE calls for a Sergeant/E5 the E4 could be awarded corporal stripes as a lateral promotion.

CPL is a NCO'S BITCH. SPC has mastered the art of shaming.

Specialist it a throwback to a bygone era that should have been done away with long ago. To retain that rank in the 21st century is ridicules.

Most enlisted soldiers coming in to the Army, when they achieve E-4 status usually carry the rank of "Specialist." I believe pretty much after the Vietnam War, the rank of Corporal was no longer given. If I am not mistaken, you have to be in an Infantry-type MOS or heavy mechanized unit, Ranger, or Airborne to even be considered to carry the Corporal rank. And even then, most are Specialists. It's been a long time since I wore the uniform - and I am sure much has changed in today's Army. It may be, the rank may not be available anymore. I believe in this particular social media, Rallypoint offers the rank - because they have members that date back - and other branches of service, i.e., the Marine Corps, who still designate this rank to their E-4 enlisted.

A Corporal is hard stripe/NCO,and therefore comands troops.

A specialist is a soldier who is the work horse of the army. A corporal is a junior NCO. They are generally only seen in infantry units. They can be team leaders, section leaders, and in the absence of a SGT and above, the corporal can be assigned as a squad leader.

Leadership

In most cases, a corporal has been before a local promotion board and has been recommended for promotion. They usually have attended the Warrior leader course. Where as a specialist they have not been. Corporal is mostly used in the combat arms / maneuver MOS's

Specialist grades are predominately used in Technical and/or Medical fields....they are consequently also
used when a commander doesn't feel that a person/s would prove to be an NCO, which is what a Corporal is. Leadership plays an important part of the NCO beginnings. That's not to say that a Specialist cannot be put into a leadership position, but typically if you have one Specialist E-4 and one Corporal E-4, the Corporal will, in fact, out rank the Specialist and will also have NCO privileges. This is basic info as there are many pros/cons for each and descriptions of same.