Technician fourth grade explained

Technician fourth grade
Country:United States
Service Branch:United States Army
Abbreviation:T/4 or Tec 4
Rank Group:Enlisted
Pay Grade:4th Grade
Formation:26 January 1942
Abolished:1 August 1948
Higher Rank:Technician third grade
Lower Rank:Technician fifth grade
Equivalents:Sergeant

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. The rank insignia was finalized on 4 September 1942, adding a block "T" below the existing three chevrons.[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. 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, though the concept was revived with the specialist ranks in 1955.[12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . History of Enlisted Ranks . https://web.archive.org/web/20061231145748/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Rank_page/History_of_Enlisted_Ranks.htm . 2006-12-31 . The Institute of Heraldry . . 2022-07-05.
  2. Book: Hogan . David W. . Fisch . Arnold G. . Wright . Robert K. . 2009 . The Story of the Noncommissoned Officer Corps . Washington, D.C. . United States Army Center of Military History . 295–296 . 978-0-16-067869-1 .
  3. Book: United States Department of War . 1944-01-18 . War Department Technical Manual TM 20–205: Glossary of United States Army Terms . Washington, D.C. . United States Government Printing Office . 279 . .
  4. Book: . 1944 . Decisions of the Comptroller General of the United States . 23 . Washington, D.C. . United States Government Printing Office . 330.
  5. Book: . . 1942 . Compilation of War Department General Orders, Bulletins, and Circulars . Washington, D.C. . United States Government Printing Office . 184 . .
  6. Book: Fisher, Ernest F. . 1994 . Guardians of the Republic: A History of the Noncommissoned Officer Corps of the U.S. Army . New York . Ballantine . 260 . 0-449-90923-9.
  7. Web site: U.S. Army Rifle Company (1942–43) . . Battle Order . 2022-07-07.
  8. Web site: U.S. Army Medium Tank Company (1943–45) . . Battle Order . 2022-07-07.
  9. Web site: Medical Detachment, U.S. Army Armored Inf Bn (1943–45) . . Battle Order . 2022-07-07.
  10. Web site: U.S. Army Parachute Rifle Company (1941–1948) . . Battle Order . 2022-07-07.
  11. . September–October 1942 . Informational Data on Army Music . Music Educators Journal . 48.
  12. Web site: The NCO Historical Society . Short History of the Specialist Rank . Daniel K. . Elder . 2022-07-05.