Technician fourth grade
The T/4 insignia of a letter "T" below three chevrons.
The T/4 insignia of a letter "T" below three chevrons.
CountryUnited States
Service branchUnited States Army
AbbreviationT/4 or Tec 4
Rank groupEnlisted
Pay grade4th Grade
Formation26 January 1942
Abolished1 August 1948
Next higher rankTechnician third grade
Next lower rankTechnician fifth grade
Equivalent ranksSergeant

Technician fourth grade (abbreviated T/4 or Tec 4) was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948.[1] The rank was created to recognize enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders.[2][3]

History

The rank of technician fourth grade was authorized on 26 January 1942, per Executive Order No. 9041,[4] and was adopted by the Army effective 1 June 1942.[2] The rank insignia was finalized on 4 September 1942, adding a block "T" below the existing three chevrons.[1][5] Those who held the rank of T/4 were addressed as "sergeant," the same as the corresponding non-commissioned officer at the same pay grade.[6]

Technicians represented a wide variety of soldiers with specialized technical skills, including medics, radio operators and repairmen, mail clerks, mechanics, cooks, musicians, and tank drivers.[7][8][9][10][11] Initially, the three technician ranks held non-commissioned officer status.[2] However, as technicians received no formal NCO leadership training or qualifications, their entrance into the NCO ranks resulted in organizational confusion, dilution of the NCO corps, and lowered morale among senior NCOs.[6] Consequently, the Army revoked NCO status from technicians in November 1943.[6]

The technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system on 1 August 1948,[2] though the concept was revived with the specialist ranks in 1955.[1][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "History of Enlisted Ranks". The Institute of Heraldry. United States Department of the Army. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Hogan, David W.; Fisch, Arnold G.; Wright, Robert K., eds. (2009). The Story of the Noncommissoned Officer Corps. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. pp. 295–296. ISBN 978-0-16-067869-1.
  3. ^ United States Department of War (18 January 1944). War Department Technical Manual TM 20–205: Glossary of United States Army Terms. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 279.
  4. ^ Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States. Vol. 23. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1944. p. 330.
  5. ^ Compilation of War Department General Orders, Bulletins, and Circulars. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. 1942. p. 184. ((cite book)): Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  6. ^ a b c Fisher, Ernest F. (1994). Guardians of the Republic: A History of the Noncommissoned Officer Corps of the U.S. Army. New York: Ballantine. p. 260. ISBN 0-449-90923-9.
  7. ^ "U.S. Army Rifle Company (1942–43)". Battle Order. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ^ "U.S. Army Medium Tank Company (1943–45)". Battle Order. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Medical Detachment, U.S. Army Armored Inf Bn (1943–45)". Battle Order. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  10. ^ "U.S. Army Parachute Rifle Company (1941–1948)". Battle Order. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Informational Data on Army Music". Music Educators Journal. September–October 1942. p. 48.
  12. ^ Elder, Daniel K. "Short History of the Specialist Rank" (PDF). The NCO Historical Society. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
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