Technician third grade (abbreviated T/3 or Tec 3) was a
rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
from 1942 to 1948.
The rank was created to recognize
enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders.
History
The rank of technician third grade was authorized on 26 January 1942, per
Executive Order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
No. 9041, and was adopted by the Army effective 1 June 1942.
The rank insignia was finalized on 4 September 1942, adding a block "T" between the existing three chevrons and one arc.
Those who held the rank of T/3 were addressed as "
staff sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.
History of title
In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
," the same as the corresponding
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
at the same pay grade.
Technicians represented a wide variety of soldiers with specialized technical skills, including medics, radio operators and repairmen, mail clerks, mechanics, cooks, and tank drivers. 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.
Consequently, the Army revoked NCO status from technicians in November 1943.
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.
See also
*
United States Army enlisted rank insignia of World War II
The U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia that was used during World War II differs from the current system. The color scheme used for the insignia's chevron design was defined as golden olive drab chevrons on a dark blue-black wool background for wea ...
References
{{Authority control
1942 establishments in the United States
1948 disestablishments in the United States
Military ranks of the United States Army
Technicians