Sp3 rank?

[ThatOneNewGuy816]

This one's embarrassing, but I'm not sure what sp3 means. My great grandfather Carlos is listed as an sp3 on his dd214, I assume it is a type of specialist, but I'm not sure which. He was discharged in December of 1956.

[RWW]

Here is a link to a Wikipedia article describing the Specialist rank.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(rank)

 

Here is another link that lists the MOS's associated with the Specialist rank.

 

https://www.military-ranks.org/army/specialist

 

To know exactly what his specialty was requires a bit more information about him, such as what unit he served in or perhaps a picture of his uniform.

 

[ThatOneNewGuy816]

 

7 hours ago, RWW said:

 

To know exactly what his specialty was requires a bit more information about him, such as what unit he served in or perhaps a picture of his uniform.

 

His uniform is sadly long gone, but I do know what he served with. He was in company m 188th airborne infantry in the 11th airborne from 1954 to december of 1956, and is listed on his dd214 as a heavy weapons infantryman. 

[patches]

The Specialist 3rd Class was a common rank within the  E-4 Grade alter it came out in 1955, one need not have a technical or specialty MOS to be of this rank, you'd see Infantryman, Artillerymen, Engineers, Tank Crewman, Medics, Vehicle Mechanics, Military Policemen etc etc in this Sp3, or Spec 3 Rank. It was a somewhat automatic promotion from Private First Class E-3, the Rank of Corporal, now there was a rare rank within E-4 Grade starting around this time, especially after 1958. It was the higher Specialist Ranks that one would be in a technical or specialty MOS, Specialist 2nd Class, Specialist 1st Class and Master Specialist.

 

In 1958 with the big Grade restructure, these ranks now became the more familiar Specialist 4th Class, Specialist 5th Class  Specialist 6th Class Specialist 7th Class, with the more familiar Large Patch, the Small patch, the original one, now was only worn by WACS.

[patches]

Here's a little more on the subject.