United States Army enlisted rank insignia

This chart represents the U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia with seniority decreasing left-to-right inside a given pay grade. All ranks of Corporal or Sergeant and higher are considered non-commissioned officers (NCOs).

The rank of Specialist is a soldier of pay grade E-4 who has not yet attained non-commissioned officer status. It is common that a soldier may never be a Corporal and will move directly from Specialist to Sergeant, attaining NCO status immediately.

Command

In each command of company sized units and smaller, 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 one person in a battalion or larger unit, known as the Operations Sergeant-Major.

In terms of command, the rank of a person determines what job and command he/she has within a unit. For most personnel in the 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 Staff Sergeant, the gunner is a Sergeant, the driver is a Specialist and the loader is a Specialist or below.

Address

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. Specialists, Privates First Class, and Privates are usually called by last name only, or by simply "Soldier" although AR 600-20 stipulates that "Specialist" and "Private" are the correct forms of address for these ranks.

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 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). Specialists are sometimes jokingly referred to as "Command Private Major", "Full-Bird Private", or "PV4". In training units (Basic Combat Training and AIT), trainees are called "Warrior", as they have not yet earned the title of "Soldier".Special titles, such as "Drill Sergeant" are specific to certain jobs, and should not be confused for actual rank.The term "Sarge" is never used, as it is improper, and an insult to a soldier with the rank of Sergeant and above.Fact|date=January 2008

Other services differ, such as the Marines, who address each other by full rank. (ie: "Yes, Staff Sergeant!" or "Quit walking on the grass, Lance Corporal!")

ee also

*United States Army enlisted rank insignia of World War II
*United States Army officer rank insignia
*United States warrant officer rank insignia

References

* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OXU/is_1_62/ai_n17166522 "Soldiers magazine" January 2004 "Rank Insignia of the U.S. Armed Forces: enlisted"] (lacks pictures but confirms the correctness of the given rank titles and abbreviations)
* [http://www.gasdf.com/rank-insignia.htm US Army Rank and Insignia]
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html Dep't. of Defense Enlisted Rank Insignia] Has pictures, but does not have an abbreviation for Private
* [http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_20.pdf Army Regulation 600-20] Page 4 lists all current enlisted ranks, the correct form of address, the associated pay grade, and the correct abbreviation.