WWII Navy Sp(O)1c

[Wailuna]

Specialist (Ordnance Material Inspector) 1st Class Bill Riley.

Before going on active duty in the Naval Reserve Selective Volunteer program in September, 1943, Bill Riley was a mechanical engineer with Shell Oil Co. in Phoenix, Arizona. Following recruit training at San Diego Naval Training Station, he was transferred to Headquarters 3rd Naval District in New York City, where this picture was taken in the summer of 1945. Navy rates are not my field, but evidently these "specialist" ratings were the Navy's method of classifying enlisted volunteers during WWII who had civilian skills or professions that did not fit anywhere else in the Navy's rating system. The "O" in a diamond rating mark denotes "Specialist (Inspector of Naval Material)" with Ordnance Material being one of several subspecialties within this rate. Comments and/or corrections from subject matter experts out there would be appreciated.

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