The Respect of Soldier’s Rank Essay Example
The Respect of Soldier’s Rank Essay Example

The Respect of Soldier’s Rank Essay Example

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  • Pages: 18 (4733 words)
  • Published: December 22, 2016
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In the U. S. Military services, rank determines who gets to tell whom what to do. The higher one's rank the more authority (and responsibility) they have. U. S. Military personnel fall into one of three categories: (1) enlisted members, (2) warrant officers, and (3) commissioned officers. Warrant officers outrank all enlisted members, and commissioned officers outrank all warrant officers and enlisted members. "Rank" and "pay grade" are closely associated terms, but not quite the same.

"Pay grade" is an administrative classification, associated with a member's pay. Rank" is a title and denotes the member's level of authority and responsibility. An E-1 is the lowest enlisted pay grade. That person's "rank" is a "Private" in the Army and Marine Corps, an "Airman Basic" in the Air Force, and a "Seaman Recruit" in the Navy and Coast

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Guard. I should also probably note here that in the Navy and Coast Guard, the term "rank" is not used among enlisted Sailors. The proper term is "rate. " Through the ages, the badge of ranks have included such symbols as feathers, sashes, stripes and showy uniforms.

Even carrying different weapons has signified rank. The badges of rank have been worn on hats, shoulders and around the waist and chest. The American military adapted most of its rank insignia from the British. Before the Revolutionary War, Americans drilled with militia outfits based on the British tradition. Sailors followed the example of the most successful navy of the time -- the Royal Navy. So, the Continental Army had privates, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, colonels, generals, and several now-obsolete ranks like coronet, subaltern and ensign.

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the Army didn't have was enough money to buy uniforms. T o solve this, Gen. George Washington wrote, "As the Continental Army has unfortunately no uniforms, and consequently many inconveniences must arise from not being able to distinguish the commissioned officers from the privates, it is desired that some badge of distinction be immediately provided; for instance that the field officers may have red or pink colored cockades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff, and the subalterns green. "Even during the war, rank insignia evolved.

In 1780, regulations prescribed two stars for major generals and one star for brigadiers worn on shoulder boards, or epaulettes. The use of most English ranks carried on even after the United States won the war. The Army and Marine Corps used comparable ranks, especially after 1840. The Navy took a different route. The rank structure and insignia continued to evolve. Second lieutenants replaced the Army's coronets, ensigns and subalterns, but they had no distinctive insignia until Congress gave them "butterbars" in 1917.

Colonels received the eagle in 1832. From 1836, majors and lieutenant colonels were denoted by oak leave; captains by double silver bars -- "railroad tracks"; and first lieutenants, single silver bars. In the Navy, captain was the highest rank until Congress created flag officers in 1857 -- before then, designating someone an admiral in the republic had been deemed too royal for the United States. Until 1857, the Navy had three grades of captain roughly equivalent to the Army's brigadier general, colonel and lieutenant colonel.

Adding to the confusion, all Navy ship commanders are called "captain" regardless of rank. With the onset

of the Civil War, the highest grade captains became commodores and rear admirals and wore one-star and two-star epaulettes, respectively. The lowest became commanders with oak leaves while captains in the middle remained equal to Army colonels and wore eagles. At the same time, the Navy adopted a sleeve-stripe system that became so complex that when David Glasgow Farragut became the service's first full admiral in 1866, the stripes on his sleeves extended from cuff to elbow.

The smaller sleeve stripes used today were introduced in 1869. Chevrons are V-shaped stripes whose use in the military go back to at least the 12th century. It was a badge of honor and used in heraldry. The British and French used chevrons -- from the French word for "roof" -- to signify length of service. Chevrons officially denoted rank in the U. S. military for the first time in 1817, when cadets at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N. Y. , wore them on their sleeves. From West Point, chevrons spread to the Army and Marine Corps.

The difference then was chevrons were worn points down until 1902, when Army and Marine Corps enlisted personnel switched to the present points up configuration. Navy and Coast Guard petty officers trace their insignia heritage to the British. Petty officers were assistants to the officers aboard ship. The title wasn't a permanent rank and the men served at the captain's pleasure. Petty officers lost their rank when the crew was paid off at the end of a voyage. In 1841, Navy petty officers received their first rank insignia -- an eagle perched on an anchor.

style="text-align: justify">Ratings -- job skills -- were incorporated into the insignia in 1866. In 1885, the Navy designated three classes of petty officers -- first, second and third. They added chevrons to designate the new ranks. The rank of chief petty officer was established in 1894. During World War II, the Army adopted technician grades. Technicians of a given grade earned the same pay and wore the same insignia as equivalent noncommissioned officers except for a small "T" centered under the chevrons. Technicians, despite the stripes, had no command authority over troops. This evolved into the specialist ranks, pay grades E-4 to E-7.

The last vestige today survives plainly as "specialist," pay grade E-4. When there were such people as specialists 7, they wore the current eagle symbol surmounted by three curved gold bars -- often called "bird umbrellas. " In each command of company-sized units, there is assigned a senior enlisted who is the monitor and advocate of the enlisted personnel to the commanding officer. This position is known as the "First Sergeant," though the person carrying that title does not have to be the rank of first sergeant (it is the highest ranking enlisted person in the company).

In a battalion or larger unit, the senior enlisted Soldier is a Command Sergeant Major. The rank of sergeant major is usually carried by the senior enlisted person of the S-3 staff section in a battalion or a brigade, and in most staff sections in larger units. In terms of command, the rank of a person typically determines what job and command the Soldier has within a unit. For personnel in US Army

mechanized infantry, a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (M2A2) is commanded by a Staff Sergeant, the gun is manned by a Specialist or Sergeant and the driver is Specialist or below.

For the Armor, the Abrams Main Battle Tank (M1A2) is commanded by a Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant First Class or Staff Sergeant, the gunner is a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant, the driver is a Specialist, Private First Class, PV2 or PV1, and the loader is a Specialist or below. Formal terms of address specified in Army Regulation 600-20 "Army Command Policy" are "Sergeant Major" for all Sergeant Major ranks, "First Sergeant" for First Sergeants, "Sergeant" for Master Sergeants, Sergeants First Class, Staff Sergeants, and Sergeants. Corporals and Specialists are addressed by their rank.

Privates First Class and Privates are all addressed as Privates. In some cases, informal titles are used. "Top" is commonly used by NCOs as an informal address to First Sergeants, or anyone serving as a Company 1st Sergeant. In Field Artillery, a Platoon Sergeant (usually an E-7) is referred to as "Smoke", and squad leaders (usually an E-6) are called "Chief" (some squad leaders discourage this, as "Chief" is also a common term of address for Warrant Officers). In some smaller units, with more tight-knit squads, soldiers might call their squad leader "Boss", or a similar respectful term.

A habit that has all but died out is that a Platoon Sergeant, in any unit other than Artillery, is affectionately called "Platoon Daddy", in casual conversation or in jest (but never in any official communication of any type). In training units (Basic Combat Training and AIT or OSUT), trainees are called

"Private", regardless of the rank worn (when the soldier is a Private First Class or below). Special titles, such as "Drill Sergeant" are specific to certain jobs, and should not be confused for actual rank.

Other services differ, such as the Marines, which address each other by full rank. Some terms are used jokingly when referring to a soldier's rank. For instance, Specialists are sometimes jokingly referred to as "Command Private Major", "Specialist Major," "Full-Bird Private", "Sham shield" or "PV4". An E-1 Private may be referred to as "E-Nothing" or "E-Fuzzy," due to the lack of rank patch on the velcro portion of the Army Combat Uniform (ACU). The structure of U. S. ranks has its roots in British military traditions.

At the start of the American Revolutionary War, uniforms, let alone insignia, were barely affordable and recognition of ranks in the field was problematic. To solve this, General George Washington wrote: "As the Continental Army has unfortunately no uniforms, and consequently many inconveniences must arise from not being able to distinguish the commissioned officers from the privates, it is desired that some badge of distinction be immediately provided; for instance that the field officers may have red or pink colored cockades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff, and the subalterns green.

From 1780, regulations prescribed two stars for major generals and one star for brigadier generals, worn on epaulettes. From 1821 to 1832, the Army used chevrons to identify officer grades, a practice that is still observed at West Point for cadet officers. Colonels received their eagle in 1832, and four years later lieutenant colonels were using oak leaves

and captains and first lieutenants their respective double and single bars. Both majors and second lieutenants had no specific insignia.

A major would have been recognizable as he would have worn the more elaborate epaulette fringes of a senior field officer but without insignia. The color of insignia was gold on silver epaulettes in the infantry and vice versa in the other branches until 1851 when insignia became universally silver on gold for senior officers and gold for the bars of captains and first lieutenants. The reason for the choice of silver eagles over gold ones is thought to be one of economy; there were more cavalry and artillery colonels than infantry so it was cheaper to replace the numerically fewer gold ones.

From 1872 the majors received oak leaves in gold to distinguish them from the silver of lieutenant colonels and the bars of both captains and lieutenants became silver. In a similar fashion, 1917 saw the introduction of a single gold bar for second lieutenants. These changes created the curious situation (in terms of heraldic tradition) of silver outranking gold. One after-the-fact explanation suggested by some NCOs is that the more-malleable gold suggests that the bearer is being "molded" for his or her responsibilities -- as a field officer (second lieutenant) or staff officer (major).

However, this explanation may be more clever than correct, for while the insignia for second lieutenant and major are gold colored they are actually made of brass (except that the gold bars used to "pin on" a Second Lieutenant at the US Military Academy are, by tradition, 14 karat gold), and brass is a base

metal while silver is a precious metal. The rank order thus does not actually conflict with heraldic tradition.

While not currently in use today, special insignia were authorized by Congress for ten General officers who were promoted to the highest ranks in the United States Army: General of the Army, designed as a "five star" rank, and General of the Armies, considered to be the equivalent of a "six star" rank. Eight Generals were promoted to the rank and title General of the Army (Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, Philip Sheridan, George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Henry H. Arnold, and Omar Bradley), while two Generals were promoted to the higher rank and title of General of the Armies (George Washington and John J.

Pershing). Congress created the rank of General of the Armies specifically for Washington, although while living he never officially accepted the honor. Pershing received the rank in 1919 and was allowed to choose his own insignia; he chose to use four gold stars, but never actually wore the rank on his uniform. While a conjectural design for the rank of General of the Armies was proposed using six silver stars when the promotion of Douglas MacArthur to the rank was considered in 1956, no design was ever officially authorized.

In 1976, Congressman Mario Biaggi of New York submitted a House Resolution granting Washington the promotion. The promotion was effective on July 4th, 1976, the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. Although Pershing accepted the rank in 1919 and technically had a date of rank that preceded Washington's, the new law specified that no other officer of

the United States Army should ever outrank Washington. Hence, effective date of rank non-withstanding, Washington was permanently made superior to all other officers of the United States Army, past, present, or future.

While no living officer holds either of these ranks today, the General of the Army title and five star insignia designed in 1944 is still authorized for use in war time. Congress may promote Generals to this rank for successful wartime campaigns, or to give the officer parity in rank to foreign counterparts in joint coalitions, specifically with respect to Field Marshals. In the United States military, the rank of Warrant Officer (grade W-1 to W-5) is rated as an officer above the senior-most enlisted ranks, as well as officer cadets and candidates, but below the officer grade of O-1 (NATO: OF-1).

Warrant officers are highly skilled, single-track specialty officers, and while the ranks are authorized by Congress, each branch of the Uniformed Services selects, manages, and utilizes warrant officers in slightly different ways. For appointment to Warrant Officer One (W-1), a warrant is approved by the secretary of the respective service. For Chief Warrant Officer ranks (W-2 to W-5), warrant officers are commissioned by the President of the United States and take the same oath as regular commissioned officers (O-1 to O-10).

Warrant officers can and do command detachments, units, activities, vessels, aircraft, and armored vehicles as well as lead, coach, train, and counsel subordinates. However, the Warrant Officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical expert, providing valuable skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field. In the Navy, the

Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) rank is a technical specialist who directs specific activities essential to the proper operation of the ship, which also require commissioned officer authority. [1] Navy CWOs serve in 30 specialties overing five categories. CWO should not be confused with the Limited Duty Officer in the Navy. CWOs perform duties that are directly related to their previous enlisted service and specialized training. This allows the Navy to capitalize on the experience of CWOs without having to frequently transition them to other duty assignments for advancement. With the exception of the Navy's Flying Chief Warrant Officer program, all Navy warrant officers are accessed from the Chief Petty Officer pay grades, E-7 through E-9, analogous to a senior non-commissioned officer in the other services.

The recently implemented Flying Chief Warrant Officer program that will train qualified non-college degreed sailors to become Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers in selected naval aircraft is open to sailors in pay grades of E-5 and E-6 and chief petty officers in pay grade E-7. The United States Navy has had warrant officers among its ranks since 23 December 1775, when John Berriman received a warrant to act as purser aboard the brigantine, USS Andrea Doria. That warrant was considered a patent of trust and honor but was not considered a commission to command.

Since this first appointment, Navy warrant officers have held positions as surgeons, master mates, boatswains, carpenters, and chaplains. Until 1912, a Midshipman graduating from the United States Naval Academy was required to have two years of sea duty as a warrant officer before receiving a commission as an Ensign. [3] Although based on

the British Royal Navy warrant ranks that were in place until 1949, the United States had never needed to address an issue of aristocracy, which resulted in warranted officers in the Royal Navy.

However, the United States Navy experienced a similar issue of rank, where highly competent senior non-commissioned officers are required to report to inexperienced junior officers, giving rise to special status to the Navy's chief warrant officers. In 1975, the Navy stopped utilizing the rank of Warrant Officer 1 (WO1), also known as pay grade W-1, because chief petty officers in pay grades E-7 and above with many years in service would lose pay when appointed to the rank of Warrant Officer. The Navy appoints their warrant officers directly to the rank of CWO2 (i. e. as chief warrant officers), considers them as "commissioned" officers, and manages all grades (CWO2 through CWO5) by billets appropriate for each rank. In past years, some CWOs resigned their warrant commission prior to retirement in order to receive greater retirement pay at their former senior enlisted rank. [4] However, this pay disparity has effectively disappeared in recent years and all Navy CWOs now retire at the appropriate officer grade. The Navy started a test program called the "Flying Chief Warrant Officer Program" in 2006, to acquire pilots and naval flight officers.

Enlisted sailors in the grades E-5 through E-7 who have at least an associate's degree and are not currently serving in the diver, master-at-arms, nuclear, SEAL, SWCC or EOD communities are eligible to apply. Upon being commissioned as CWO2, selectees will undergo warrant officer indoctrination and then flight school for 18 to 30 months.

After completion of flight school, selectees will be placed in one of four types of squadrons: anti-submarine, combat support, patrol or reconnaissance.

The pilots and naval flight officers will then be trained to operate the P-3 Orion, the EP-3E Aries II, the E-6 Mercury, or the MH-60 Seahawk, and will eventually qualify to fly the P-8 Poseidon. The Navy will reevaluate the program in 2011, when the last of the "flying" chief warrant officers are expected to report to their operational Fleet squadrons. The Army Warrant Officer traces lineage to the civilian Headquarters Clerk, later designated the Army Field Clerk. An Army Judge Advocate General review determined that field clerks should be members of the military.

Legislation in 1916 authorized those positions as military. On 9 July 1918, Congress established the rank and grade of Warrant Officer concurrent with establishing the Army Mine Planter Service (AMPS) within the Coast Artillery Corps. Creation of the Mine Planter Service replaced an informal service crewed by civilians, replacing them with military personnel, of whom the vessel's master, mates, chief engineer, and assistant engineers were Army warrant officers. The official color of the Warrant Officer Corps,[vague] was based on the brown sleeve insignia[7] of rank for ship's officers of the Army Mine Planter (AMP).

Since that time, the position of WO in the Army has been refined. In 1941, two grades were created, Warrant Officer Junior Grade (W1) and Chief Warrant Officer (W2). In 1942, there were temporary appointments in about 40 occupational areas, then in September 1942 the grade of Flight Officer was created in the W1 pay grade and assigned to the US Army

Air Force (USAAF). Some of the first flight officers were Americans serving as sergeant pilots in the Royal Air Force and were transferred to the USAAF after the U. S. entered the war.

Most flight officers were raduates of various USAAF flight training programs, including pilot, navigator and bombardier ratings. A portion of each graduating class were commissioned to Second Lieutenants, while the remainder were appointed to Flight Officer. Once reaching operational units and after gaining flying experience, many flight officers were later offered direct commissions as lieutenants. In November 1942, the War Department defined the rank order as having warrant officers above all enlisted grades and below all commissioned grades. In 1944, women were appointed to the warrant officer grades.

In 1949, the grades of W-3 and W-4 were created with Chief Warrant Officer now comprising the W-2, W-3, and W-4 grades. In 1953, the Warrant Officer Flight Program was created, which trained thousands of warrant officer pilots. At the end of 1991, the grade of W-5 was created. Today, the warrant officer is a technical expert, combat leader, trainer, and advisor. The purpose of the warrant officer is to serve in specific positions which require greater longevity than the billet duration of commanders and other staff officers.

The duration of these assignments result in increased technical expertise as well as the leadership and management skills that make them so effective for the Army. Army warrant officers serve as technical and tactical experts, and leaders, in 45 basic Military Occupational Specialties. They serve in 15 branches of the service, spanning the Active service, the Army National Guard, and the U. S.

Army Reserve. They also serve at every level, from down at the section and platoon all the way to the upper echelons of the Department of the Army.

Warrant officers command the Army's vessels and most bands and aircraft. In addition, they may be found in command of various small units and detached teams. Regardless of rank, Army warrant officers are officially addressed as Mister (Mrs. , Miss, Ms. ). Unofficially, the informal title of "Chief" is often used as a familiar form of address. The body of warrant officers in the Army comprises two communities: technicians and aviators. Technicians typically must be enlisted in the rank of Sergeant (E-5) or above in a related specialty to qualify to become a Warrant Officer.

The aviation field is open to all applicants, military or civilian, who meet the stringent medical and aptitude requirements. Civilian applicants to Warrant Officer Flight Training (WOFT) are occasionally referred to as going from "high school to flight school" because a college degree is only a recommended qualification, this as compared to a degree being mandatory in tandem with a commission in at least pay grade O-1 in the other U. S. military aviation programs. The USAWOCC patch was created in 2008.

After selection to the warrant officer program, candidates attend Warrant Officer Candidate School, which is developed and administered by the Warrant Officer Career College at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Active duty Army candidates must attend the course at Fort Rucker's Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS), while Army Reserve or National Guard candidates can attend the course either at Fort Rucker, or one of the National Guard's Regional Training

Institutes. After graduation, all candidates are promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer One (WO1).

Technicians attend training at their respective branch's Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) where study advanced subjects in their technical area before moving on to their assignments in the Army. Aviation branched warrant officers remain at Fort Rucker to complete flight training and the Aviation WOBC. Upon completion of their training, aviation warrant officers receive the Army Aviator Badge. Special Forces Warrant Officer candidates from both the active and reserve force components attend the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course (SFWOTTC) at the Special Forces Warrant Officer Institute, John F.

Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The course includes both WOCS and WOBC, tailored to the unique training and experience of the Special Forces Sergeant. Candidates must be Staff Sergeant (E-6) and above, and have served three years on an operational detachment. In 2008, the Army began training a limited number of warrant officers at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth (training at the college in the past was reserved almost exclusively for majors).

The CGSC Class of 2009 included five warrant officers, and the Class of 2010 included nine warrant officers. Three warrant officers from the graduating CGSC Class of 2010 were subsequently selected as the first-ever to attend the prestigious School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) and joined the Class of 2011. Warrant Officer, One (WO1) Appointed by warrant from the Secretary of the Army, WO1s are technically and tactically focused officers who perform the primary duties of technical leader, trainer, operator, manager,

maintainer, sustainer, and advisor. Chief Warrant Officer, Two (CW2)

CW2s become commissioned officers by the President of the United States. They are intermediate-level technical and tactical experts who perform increased duties and responsibilities at the detachment through battalion levels. Chief Warrant Officer, Three (CW3) CW3s are advanced-level experts who perform the primary duties of a technical and tactical leader. They provide direction, guidance, resources, assistance, and supervision necessary for subordinates to perform their duties. They primarily support operations levels from team or detachment through brigade.

Chief Warrant Officer, Four (CW4) CW4s are senior-level experts in their chosen field, primarily supporting battalion, brigade, division, corps, and echelons above corps operations. They typically have special mentorship responsibilities for other WOs and provide essential advice to commanders on WO issues. Chief Warrant Officer, Five (CW5) CW5s are master-level experts that support brigade, division, corps, echelons above corps, and major command operations. They provide leader development, mentorship, advice, and counsel to Warrant Officers and branch officers.

CW5s have special Warrant Officer leadership and representation responsibilities within their respective commands. Chief warrant officers in the Coast Guard may be found in command of larger small boat stations and patrol boats, as specialists and supervisors in other technical areas, and as special agents in the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS). They wear insignia essentially like that of their Navy counterparts, but add the USCG shield between the rank insignia and the specialty mark, as Coast Guard commissioned officers do with their rank insignia.

Like their Navy counterparts, candidates for the rank of Chief Warrant Officer must typically be serving in the chief petty officer grades (E-7 through

E-9), however, the Coast Guard also permits selection of first class petty officers (E-6) who are in the top 50% of the promotion list to E-7. Like the Navy, the Coast Guard does not use the rank of Warrant Officer (WO-1). The Coast Guard also does not use the CWO-5 grade. The Marine Corps has had warranted officers since 1916 as technical specialists who perform duties that require extensive knowledge, training and experience with particular systems or equipment.

Marine warrant officers would be selected from the ranks of non-commissioned officers and given additional training in leadership and management. In 1943, all Marine warrant officer ranks were aligned with the other services. They were Warrant Officer (W1) and Commissioned Warrant Officer (W2). The duties Marine warrant officers typically fulfill are those that would normally call for the authority of a commissioned officer, however, require an additional level of technical proficiency and practical experience that a commissioned officer would not have had the opportunity to achieve.

An enlisted Marine can apply for the warrant officer program after serving at least eight years of enlisted service, and reaching the grade of E-5 (Sergeant) for the administrative warrant officer program or after serving at least sixteen years of enlisted service and reaching the grade of E-7 (Gunnery Sergeant) for the weapons warrant officer program. If the Marine NCO is selected, he or she is given additional leadership and management training during the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC), conducted at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia.

The United States Air Force no longer uses the warrant officer grade. The USAF inherited warrant officer ranks from the Army

at its inception in 1947, but their place in the Air Force structure was never made clear. When Congress authorized the creation of two new senior enlisted ranks in 1958, Air Force officials privately concluded that these two new "super grades" could fill all Air Force needs then performed at the warrant officer level, although this was not publicly acknowledged until years later.

The Air Force stopped appointing warrant officers in 1959, the same year the first promotions were made to the new top enlisted grade, Chief Master Sergeant. Most of the existing Air Force warrant officers entered the commissioned officer ranks during the 1960s, but tiny numbers continued to exist for the next 21 years. The last active duty Air Force warrant officer, CWO4 James H. Long, retired in 1980. The last Air Force Reserve warrant officer, CWO4 Bob Barrow, retired in 1992. Upon his retirement, Barrow was honorarily promoted to CWO5, the only person in the Air Force ever to hold this grade. Barrow died in April 2008.

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