Posted on Nov 28, 2016
What was the purpose of the higher Specialist ranks?
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During the time my grandfather served in the Army, there were many Specialist ranks all the way up to E-9. My question is, what was the purpose of having an E-9 SPC (SP9) back when these ranks were in service. I could use a good history lesson!
Thank you,
SPC O'Hara
Thank you,
SPC O'Hara
SP5
SP6
SPC
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 98
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Mostly they were a means of retaining technicians past the point where non-comms were considered useful
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Back in my day 1964 Specialist E-4 to E-9 were to denote skill level They were not in chain of command. Some units signal,postal,chaplains etc only had Specialist rank.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Melinda Curtis - I don't understand what you are asking, where you got this number or why this Specialist discussion has anything to do with 8th Army.
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Melinda Curtis
I can't ask a question on my page cause i have no friends. My son is in the 8th Army I got a picture of him with that number. Most of my questions are about that boy!! For one unit why so many leaders?
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LTC Jason Mackay
Melinda Curtis - anyone can post a question on RP. The home page, just post one (see photo).
8th Army is the operational level HQ for Army forces in Korea commanded by a Lieutenant General (three star). His staff advises him, tracks issues, builds courses of action, provides subject matter expertise in their staff area, prepares estimates/studies, revises all plans/orders is fairly large, not even counting the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion that supports the 8th Army Command and Staff. This staff helps the Commander command, control, coordinate, and communicate the Army units across the peninsula with about 30,000 soldiers, but would also have to receive, stage, onward move, and integrate all other Army units that would flow in if the balloon went up. The staff consists of G1 Human Resources, G2 intelligence, G3 Operations/Fires, G4 Sustainment, G5 Future plans/Operations, G6 Communications, G7 Engineering, G9 Civil Affairs, and G8 Resource Management. His special staff likely includes the Inspector General, Chaplain, Command Judge Advocate, Command Surgeon, and SHARP at a minimum. They have a special staff that manages the KATUSA program, Koreans Augmenting the United States Army. There is a Chief of Staff and a Secretary of the General Staff that coordinates the Command Group and Staff's efforts. 8th Army also appears to have two Deputy Commanding Generals, one of which is a Korean General.
Staffs are not built from a bunch of Joes. they have more senior people in them, officers, warrants, NCOs. There are some junior enlisted, but not many. The senior people are there to provide their i depth knowledge and experience to make the Command successful in those G staff sections I described. So to say there are 250 'leaders' there would be an understatement.... If you are looking at anyone above the pay grade of E4 as a leader. Each staff section has their supervisory chain that goes through their Assistant Chief of Staff, which are the staff primaries (example, 'the' G4 is actually the Assistant Chief of Staff, G4) who is probably a very senior, post command Colonel. Each staff has some number of people that are aligned by functions that that staff performs. They also have to operate 24-7. So each staff has a Colonel, some Lieutenant Colonels, some Majors, maybe some Captains, then the Warrants and NCOs and a few junior soldiers. They are not sitting around telling each other what to do....they are also not all telling units what to do (directly). There are orders and plans that they work on together, then issue through the G3 Operations staff section in the name of the Commander. These plans and orders tell subordinate unit commanders what (not how) to do. Each order has 6 major sections: Situation, Mission, Execution, Sustainment, Command and Control, then all the Annexes for specialized and detailed matters. The staff develops these plans and orders continuously. They do this from their staff estimates which they maintain 24-7, which contribute to the different paragraphs and annexes.
8th Army is the operational level HQ for Army forces in Korea commanded by a Lieutenant General (three star). His staff advises him, tracks issues, builds courses of action, provides subject matter expertise in their staff area, prepares estimates/studies, revises all plans/orders is fairly large, not even counting the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion that supports the 8th Army Command and Staff. This staff helps the Commander command, control, coordinate, and communicate the Army units across the peninsula with about 30,000 soldiers, but would also have to receive, stage, onward move, and integrate all other Army units that would flow in if the balloon went up. The staff consists of G1 Human Resources, G2 intelligence, G3 Operations/Fires, G4 Sustainment, G5 Future plans/Operations, G6 Communications, G7 Engineering, G9 Civil Affairs, and G8 Resource Management. His special staff likely includes the Inspector General, Chaplain, Command Judge Advocate, Command Surgeon, and SHARP at a minimum. They have a special staff that manages the KATUSA program, Koreans Augmenting the United States Army. There is a Chief of Staff and a Secretary of the General Staff that coordinates the Command Group and Staff's efforts. 8th Army also appears to have two Deputy Commanding Generals, one of which is a Korean General.
Staffs are not built from a bunch of Joes. they have more senior people in them, officers, warrants, NCOs. There are some junior enlisted, but not many. The senior people are there to provide their i depth knowledge and experience to make the Command successful in those G staff sections I described. So to say there are 250 'leaders' there would be an understatement.... If you are looking at anyone above the pay grade of E4 as a leader. Each staff section has their supervisory chain that goes through their Assistant Chief of Staff, which are the staff primaries (example, 'the' G4 is actually the Assistant Chief of Staff, G4) who is probably a very senior, post command Colonel. Each staff has some number of people that are aligned by functions that that staff performs. They also have to operate 24-7. So each staff has a Colonel, some Lieutenant Colonels, some Majors, maybe some Captains, then the Warrants and NCOs and a few junior soldiers. They are not sitting around telling each other what to do....they are also not all telling units what to do (directly). There are orders and plans that they work on together, then issue through the G3 Operations staff section in the name of the Commander. These plans and orders tell subordinate unit commanders what (not how) to do. Each order has 6 major sections: Situation, Mission, Execution, Sustainment, Command and Control, then all the Annexes for specialized and detailed matters. The staff develops these plans and orders continuously. They do this from their staff estimates which they maintain 24-7, which contribute to the different paragraphs and annexes.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Melinda Curtis another way to,look at it. http://8tharmy.korea.army.mil/safety/Toolbox/Resources/02/ArmyStructure.pdf
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technician_fifth_grade
I think I found it, I was wrong, apparently, there's a photo of corporal insignia with a T displayed, have a look....
I think I found it, I was wrong, apparently, there's a photo of corporal insignia with a T displayed, have a look....
Technician fifth grade - Wikipedia
Technician Fifth Grade (abbreviated as T/5 or TEC 5) was a United States Army technician rank during World War II. Those who held this rank were addressed as Corporal, though were often called a "Tech Corporal". Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade. The pay grade number corresponded with the technician's rank. T/5 was under the pay grade 5, along with Corporal. Technicians were easily...
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And of always rather struck !e that the SPC ranks were rather akin to a kind of enlisted analogue to warrants...perhaps that:s a facile analogy, I kmpw, I merely !mention it as a thought that had occurred to me awhile back....
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You know, it's interesting you ask that...during WW2, I'd seen NCO chevrons with a capital 'T" marked on them, I'd never quite known what hat meant, I think Sgt and up, I know I'd seen it, in various video and films, just thought I'd !mention that if anyone might have a clue, I'll try to find stuff in it....
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Capt Daniel Goodman
I follow, many thanks, I kinda expected the T stuff for that, I did find stuff later on those WW2 era ranks on Wikipedia....
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MAJ Ronnie Reams
SPC Stephen Walsh - T for Technician. Technical Sergeant had no T, just 3 stripes and 2 rockers as a SFC has today.
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I would suspect that a soldier attaining the rank of Spec 6 (E-6) would choose to follow the Warrant Officer career path when the time for promotion came around. I knew a couple guys in Korea that actually did promote to SFC (E-7) from SPC 6 (E-6) who both commission within a very short time to CWO (CWO3 as I recall and there were only 4 warrant grades at that time.)
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I was a Sp 5 in 1962 fixing artillery missiles....Had lots of training on fixing those things.....
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