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

Leadship Responsibility.

Pretty much like being an AJ buck sergeant, but with much less pay and the same responsibilities. I got a SP4 as an Infantryman, but was awarded the stripes within 3 months due to being in a combat arms MOS.

There is no difference in a cpl and a spec 4 the army has since done away with the rank of cpl

Way back, just after dirt was invented, there were few corporal slots and none in an Infantry battalion. But every once in awhile you would see an Infantry corporal. They normally filled sergeant (E-5) slots, fire team leader, etc. But you didn't get promoted to corporal in the Infantry; corporals were created when an NCO got busted to E-4. NCO's did not become specialists. My roommate in Korea was an SFC (E-6) who worked himself down to corporal in the span of thirteen months.
BTW, there were no lateral promotions to corporal for SP4's. Those were the days of unit promotions and no TIG or TIS limits. So if one was an SP4 in an NCO slot and you proved you could do the job, you got promoted. In our battalion it involved completing the NCO academy and getting through a board consisting of the MSG's, 1SG's and the SMAJ.

It's an army thing, you wouldn't understand.

A Specialist like the word entails is more technical to the job at hand while a corporal is rank by combat MOSs' like Infantry ,Field Artillery ect. Specialist specialize in the technical aspects of the job like, mechanic, finance,ect.

Basically SPC is more of technical distinction with more money & responsibility and CPL is more of a leadership position and is usually only appointed in a combat arms unit or combat arms type units such as Engineers, Civil Affairs / Psychological Operations to name a few. You still don't really get treated like an NCO until you get promoted to SGT and a SR NCO until E-7 (E-6 is treated like a SGT with an upgrade), pretty sad

To my recollection, a specialist is like a technician in a specific field, where as a corporal is infantry, and is in charge in combat situations... the specialist is in charge in his area of expertise both E4.

Col is an NCO, while a Specialist is not

A SPC is rank that a soldiers accepts. Its consider a position of gathering leadership tools putting them to use. A good SPC brakes the mold and begins to show the transition to becoming a SGT and the drive to becoming a SGT.

The SPC that really embraces there rank and position in the army would be given that next steppping stone. Which is CPL to feed there appetite and desire to becoming a NCO. CPL takes on more responsibility and hone there skills on being a SGT. So when making SGT they have practice and frim understanding what takes to be in excellent SGT.

This is a great rank and tool for them. Its is always up to the soldier or SGT to bring out what the rank is ment to be.