Unofficial commercially-made insignia authorized by post commands granted Specialists one to six arcs under their chevron (ranging from one for Specialist Sixth Class to six for Specialist First Class) to indicate their grade. This was very confusing, as you couldn't tell the difference between a PFC and a Specialist and couldn't tell what their specialty was because trade badges had been eliminated. Specialists had the same single chevron of a Private First Class but were considered between the ranks of Private First Class and Corporal in authority. The rank of Private-Specialist received the same pay as a Private (Grade 7) or Private First Class (Grade 6) but received a bonus from $3 (Specialist Sixth Class) through $30 (Specialist First Class) per month. In 1920 the wide variety of specialty and trade ranks and their insignia were abolished and replaced with the rank of Private-Specialist. Not even the head of the Quartermaster Department, which designed and issued the insignia, knew them all. There were 76 trades before World War One and the number was expanded to 134 during and afterwards. Seniority was also difficult to figure out, for example between a Chief Electrical Engineer and a Coast Artillery Corps Gunner or between an Infantry Staff Sergeant and a Medical Department Staff Sergeant. They had a bewildering array of insignia with an equally-confusing system of pay groups, with senior specialists getting more pay than senior NCOs. They covered everything from bakers, cooks, and musicians to farriers, medical orderlies, telegraph or radio operators, and electricians. The non-standard insignia were set as limited standard in Januand allowed to be worn until worn out.īefore 1920 the US Army had a wide variety of specialty and trade ranks. They were also made in "Low Visibility" Olive Drab or Sage Green stripes on Khaki twill backing for wear on the Class "C" uniform. Khaki stripes on Olive Drab twill backing were designed for wear on the Class "B" uniform. They sometimes could be ordered embroidered with trade badges - like the Army Air Forces' "winged propeller" insignia. Stripes were also commercially available from manufacturers or sold in base PXs. The "Winter" stripes were worn on the Olive Drab Service (or Class "A" and "B") uniforms and the "Summer" stripes were worn on the Khaki Field (or Class "C") and denim fatigue (or Class "D") uniforms. They were now replaced with standardized "Summer" light olive drab (OD-3) or "Winter" buff-colored (OD-2) wool stripes on a dark blue felt backing for all branches. In 1920 the Branch-colored enlisted stripes and the senior "staff" NCO rank stripes (with flat "bars" instead of curved "rockers") were abolished. They were Khaki on Olive Drab backing on the Olive Drab Service uniform, Olive-Drab on Khaki backing on the Khaki Field uniform, and Branch-colored (like sky-blue for Infantry or yellow for Cavalry) worn on a Blue backing on the Dress Blue uniform. Stripes had previously been shrunk to 3.125-inches wide in 1902 and were wool on a wool backing. Its functions were absorbed by the rank of Master Sergeant (Grade 1). The rank and appointment of Sergeant Major was eliminated and wouldn't be restored until 1958. It was first considered a superior form of Technical Sergeant (with 2 curved "rocker" stripes) and later re-classed in 1942 as a subordinate form of Master Sergeant (with 3 "rocker" stripes). First Sergeant was considered an appointment rather than a rank. It received its current chevron and "rocker" stripes in 1968. Private First Class received one chevron as its insignia this replaced the trade badge or single "rocker" stripe previously assigned it. It would not get one until 1968, when it inherited the former single chevron insignia of Private First Class to distinguish them from recruits attending boot camp. The Military would not adopt the "E" prefix for the enlisted pay grades until 1949 and would not use the current lowest-to-highest numbering system until 1951. The Enlisted pay grades were now made separate and numbered from Grade 7 (Private, the lowest) to Grade 1 (Master Sergeant, the highest). Previously there were bands of pay from General (grade 1) to Private (grade 21). The previous specialty ranks were converted to the nearest equivalent enlisted pay grade. In Augas per War Department Circular Number 303, the United States Army reduced their enlisted ranks down to 7 pay grades, 8 enlisted rank titles and only 7 different rank insignias.
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