Re: Force sizes-Confusing US ranks

specialist 4 e-4, eh?

orginally specialist pay grades and ranks  were replacements for the WW
II and KOREAN WAR technician ranks in the US ARMY.

well i do remember that the majority of combat soldiers  (grunts) were
spec 4s in the US ARMY in the 1960s and 1970s.

this also held	true for air cav, armored cav, armor, artillery,
engineers,  combat medics,  and military police-the troops most likely
to FIGHT the  enemy.

LOL-and the vast majority of non combat   enlisted  personnel were
"specialist "ranks
as a way of promotion  even with a shortage of NCO slots to be promoted
too.

corporal was strictly an artilery rank, or reserved for bozos who used
to be	NCO s  E-5 or higher who got  busted as low as he/she could go
while still retaining NCO status.

PFC E3	almost became a lance corporal in  the late 1960s, early  1970s,
when it grew a rocker under the  chevron, because, PVT E2  swapped a
slick sleeve for a chevron during the later stages of the RVN WAR.

and this happened because we had two (2) slick sleeve private ranks ;
PVT E-1  and PVT E-2,  one a "trainee" and the other a "trained" pay
grade. 

PRIVATE E-2 was a promotion board  rank, and PRIVATE E-1 was an
automatic rank upon being sworn into the ARMY.
see PFC E-3 below  for explanation of a promotion board.

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS  E-3 was a promotion board rank-just like all E-4
and upward E pay grades. this meant that a candiadte for  E-3 had to
appear in person before a selection board of 1 officer and 6 NCOs where
the service record was examined, the individual examined, and questioned
as to expertise in the MOS.

PVT E-1s  were routinely sent to the RVN until an under age VOLUNTEER
PVT  E-1 was decorated for COMBAT heroism and the politicians went
apeshit over an  "untrained boy" being sent into combat (he was a 17
year  old parental approval enlistee) and suddenly EVERYONE going to the
RVN became a   PVT E-2 "trained soldier"  before leaving the  country!

and later still everyone going to the RVN became a PFC E-3 "experienced
trained  soldier" before going to the  RVN.

i went before  promotion boards for  E-2, E-3, and E-4 promotions. LOL
but my NCO ranks came in combat!

i well remember going before the PFC E-3 board in the States, and being
beat out by another PVT E-2 ( a very decorated 173rd AIRBORNE  RVN vet
who had been in the  ARMY for  3 YEARS). 

 LOL, he earned it the hard  way!

 slick sleeve airman basic or airman 3rd class	E-1 , airman 2nd class
E-2 band airman 1st class E-3  in the late 60s onwards, with SGT E-4
being the  start of the USAF NCO ranks.

(again a POLITICAL MOVE to try and silence the LOUD complaints from the
USAF enlisted personnel who were airman 1st class E-4s with many years
service and NO NCO slots available for	promotion upwards so overnight,
ll of those bitching and moaning A1C E4s became bitching and moaning
SGT E-4s performing the duties of non NCOs!)

USN rates (note rates, not ranks!) are stil a semi-mystery to me.
SEAMAN 3rd, SEAMAN 2nd, SEAMAN 1st CLASS were the basic E-1 thru E-3
unrated  pay grades.  (diagonal slashes on the	sleeve above the elbow).

PETTY OFFICER pay grades begin at PO 3rd  CLASS E-4, followed by PO 2nd
CLASS E-5, and PO 1st CLASS E-6.
(insignia of rank is  upside down chevrons  similiar to those  seen in
UK NCO ranks LCPL, CPL, and SGT)

then we jump to CHIEF PETTY OFFICER pay grades. THESE ARE ENLISTED
PERSONNEL, NOT WARRANT OFFICERS.  pay grades run from  E-7 throught E-9.

NOW, i am told the  top NCO in branch of our armed forces is an E-10,
and that an O-10 rank  exists in the officer corps.
i do not know if this is true  or not.