History and Tradition in the U.S. Army
Published by cheappay on
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 13:57:39
- Filed under U.S. Army
The United States Army traces it’s roots all the way back to the formation of the Continental Army on June 14,1775. The Army-wide and unit level traditions are there for a reason, for instance, the civilian control of the armed forces can be traced back to General George Washington’s voluntary release of power after the American Revolution. The tradition of honoring the orders of civilian leadership is one that affects the entire nation, where as other traditions (such as the right of the 3rd Infantry to march with fixed bayonets) are more local.
Each unit of the U.S. Army has it’s own strong traditions including unit mottos that are recited when an enlisted man salutes an officer in his unit. The motto can be anything from “Can Do!” to “Twenty Rounds Full.”
The old “Horse, Saddle and Rider” cavalry tradition has evolved to suit today’s troopers and the priorities they are still supposed to honor. Taking care of military vehicles (modern equivilant of the horse) is first priority, then personally assigned gear (saddle equivilant), then the soldier himself.
One of the most well-known traditions of the Army is the calling of cadence. This expanded to the other armed services and even into the civilian world. A cadance is more or less just a beat that enables soldiers to perform a task in unison. The task used to be anything from marching to loading a musket, but the modern equivilant often refers to a chant credited to a private Ducksworth back in 1944 where every time a soldier’s left foot hit the ground he was required to repeat the words called out by the soldier leading the cadence (”Sound off! One, two…Sound off! Three, four”). Time and content varied to encourage interest but it was always a means of inspiring the worn out troops to have a bit more enthusiasm. There now exist hundreds of various cadences, from simple to elaborate, whether tied to the Army or any of the other branches of service.
9 Levels of U.S. Army Enlisted Rank
Published by cheappay on
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 13:32:20
- Filed under Army Soldiers
There are nine levels of enlisted rank in the United States Army. Each rank name is also given an abbreviated rank identifier and an enlisted grade (pay grade). The insignia worn on the sleeves and collars of Army soldiers consist of chevrons (stripes that point up) and arcs/rockers (lower stripes attached to the chevrons).
-Private, PV1, E1 - the basic recruit rank and grade; wears no insignia so his sleeve and collar are bare.
-Private, PV2, E2 - wears one chevron on his sleeves and collar; advancement to E2 is usually automatic upon completion of 6 months service.
-Private First Class, PFC, E3 - wears one chevron and one rocker; advancement to E3 is usually automatic upon completion of 12 months service. The E1, E2 and E3 are all addressed as ‘Private’.
-Specialist 4, SP4, E4 - a somewhat unique rank because it is the only enlisted rank that does not wear chevrons or rockers, but a solid shield with an eagle on it. The SP4 has been trained in a military occupational specialty (MOS), his Army job, and has experience in the service.
-Corporal, CPL, E4 - wears two chevrons; is the first rank identified as a non-commissioned officer (NCO). The Corporal and the Specialist both make the same pay, but the Corporal outranks the Specialist because of his NCO status. The CPL is also the first rank designated as a ‘Junior non-commissioned officer’, or Junior NCO.
-Sergeant, SGT, E5 - wears three chevrons; sometimes referred to as a ‘Buck Sergeant’; may serve as a squad leader in the absence of a Staff Sergeant. The Sergeant is a Junior NCO.
-Staff Sergeant, SSG, E6 - wears three chevrons and one rocker; generally placed in charge of one of the four squads in a platoon; can also act as a Platoon Sergeant in the absence of a SFC. The Staff Sergeant is a Junior NCO.
-Sergeant First Class, SFC, E7 - wears three chevrons and two rockers; the first rank designated as a Senior NCO (the ranks of E8 and E9 are also Senior NCO’s).
-Platoon Sergeant, PSG, E7 - same rank as the SFC, but where there can be more than one SFC in a platoon, there is only one Platoon Sergeant; The PSG is the primary assistant and advisor to the Platoon Leader (usually a Lieutenant);therefore, the PSG outranks any other E7’s in his platoon.
-Master Sergeant, MSG, E8 - wears three chevrons and three rockers; works in a staff position, such as Operations.
-First Sergeant, 1SG, E8 - wears three chevrons and three rockers, with one small diamond; same pay as MSG, but the 1SG is the highest ranking enlisted soldier in a company and therefore has more authority than the MSG.
-Sergeant Major, SGM, E9 - wears three chevrons and three rockers with one small 5-pointed star; SGM is usually found in battalion level or higher units.
-Command Sergeant Major, CSM, E9 - three chevrons, three rockers, and a small 5-pointed star with a wreath; the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer; duties include certain ceremonial functions such as caring for the unit’s colors and serving as a monitor for, and advocate of, the enlisted men in the command.
-Sergeant Major of the Army, SMA, E9 - the highest enlisted rank; there is only one SMA in the U.S. Army at any one time, and he represents all Army enlisted soldiers. The eagle from the Great Seal of the United States is centered between two 5-pointed stars centered horizontally between the chevrons and rockers.