Specialist (rank)

Specialist 4 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

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Specialist 5 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

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Specialist 6 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

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Specialist 7 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

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Specialist 8 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

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Specialist 9 rank insignia (U.S. Army)

Specialist (abbreviated "SPC") is one section of the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. It shares the same enlisted pay grade as the Corporal. Unlike Corporals, Specialists are not considered junior non-commissioned officers (NCO).

World War I and II

Prior to 1942, an Army Specialist was known as a "Private Specialist" or simply "Specialist." Specialists of this time period wore chevrons of a Private First Class but drew PFC pay in addition to specialist pay in relationship to the specialist level possessed. While no special insignia was authorized for these Private Specialists, typically a soldier would wear PFC chevrons beneath which would be worn one to six additional arcs to denote specialty level.

During World War II, the specialist grade was known as Technician; the designation was done away with in 1948 but the concept was brought back under the new title of Specialist in 1955.

Specialist grades

In 1955, four grades of Specialist were established:

Specialist Third Class (E-4), Specialist Second Class (E-5), Specialist First Class (E-6), and Master Specialist (E-7) similar to the Petty Officer grades of the Navy and Coast Guard. When the (so-called) Super Grades (E-8 and E-9 ) were introduced in 1958, the Specialist grade titles were changed to Specialist Four through Specialist Seven; Specialist Eight and Specialist Nine were added on top; each such grade paralleled the corresponding grade of non-commissioned officer (E-4 through E-9) in terms of pay, but without the NCO authority conferred on the latter, which is the differentiation between a Spec4 and a "hard striper."

Only the lowest Specialist grade survives today, as the higher grades were phased out, beginning with Specialist 8 and 9 in 1965. Specialist 8 and 9 had existed on paper only; there were never any actual promotions to these ranks. Specialist 7 was abolished in 1978 and Specialist 5 and 6 in 1985. At that time, the rank of Specialist 4 simply became known as "Specialist," which is how it is referred to today.

In deference to the original rating of Specialist 4, the modern day rank of Specialist is also sometimes known as "SpecFour." Slang terms for the rank of Specialist include "E-4 Mafia," indicating a reference to the large number of soldiers of E-4 rank who see their roles as performing the "grunt work" in the army. The Mafia reference is derived from some Specialists who are in positions to do favors for other Army specialists, such as supply administration specialists, but sometimes do not show equal generosity to senior enlisted, officers, or privates. The rank of Specialist is sometimes called a "Sham Shield": E-4s are the most experienced of the lower ranks and have usually figured out how to "sham" out of details. A specialist is sometimes ironically called a "full bird private", a play on "full bird colonel."

New recruits into the United States Army that have earned a four-year degree enter at the rank of E-4 Specialist.

United States Navy

Between 1943 and 1944, the United States Navy maintained an enlisted rate of Specialist in the Petty Officer pay grade structure. A seaman would typically be known as a Specialist followed by a letter indicating what field the specialty was held. For instance, a Specialist (C) served as a "Classification Interviewer," while a Specialist (T) was a "Navy Teacher," among several other specialist designations.

The Navy's use of the Specialist grade was done away with in 1948, when the World War II specialist positions were merged back into the standard rate structure.

See also

• Corporal
• Sergeant
• List of comparative military ranks
• Non-commissioned officer
• United States Army enlisted rank insignia

External links

• U.S. Army Enlisted Rank Insignia - Criteria, Background, and Images
• The Short History of the Specialist Rank by Dan Elder, CSM (Ret), USA
• The Specialist Creed