Question about Korea era Specialist rank

[jcroach1]

I'm trying to track down information about my late father's Army rank and insignia. He served in the US Army from 1953 to 1956.

I know he was a Specialist. I believe a Specialist 2nd class, but I'm not sure. I'll know more when I get a copy of his discharge papers from my mother this weekend. She tells me over the phone that his rank is listed as SP2(1) followed by a date. I'm confused as to what the (1) means.

I'm also confused as to what the rank insignia looked like. I know from this web site that the insignia became Army Green in 1955 (correct?) but I'm confused as to whether they would have been 2 inches wide or 3 1/8 inches wide. Also, what color would have the insignia been prior to 1955? Olive Drab?

Is this one correct?

Olive:



Or army green:



Or would it have been more like this one?

EDIT: Pictures are lost

[craig_pickrall]

In the 1953 to 56 time period your father would have worn a PFC chevron. The specialist rank did not come into use until 1958. I assume the SPEC 2 you post is the same as E2. In that time the chevron would have been OD on a blue twill background. He would have worn the OD M1951 Ike jacket and matching trousers or the khaki uniform.

 

The chevron would look like this except it would be just one stripe.

 

[05B4S]

1951. The size of the chevrons was changed from 2 inches wide to 3 1/8 inches wide for male personnel per War Department Circular No. 9, dated 5 February 1951. The pay grades were reversed with Master Sergeant changing from pay grade 1 to pay grade E7. The insignia continued to remain two inches wide for female personnel. The insignia was authorized to be manufactured in one color: a dark blue background with olive-drab chevrons, arc, and lozenge.

 

1955. Army Regulation 615-15, dated 2 July 1954, announced a new grade structure effective 1 March 1955. The new titles were:

 

E7 Master Sergeant (First Sgt was an occupational title) and Master Specialist

 

E6 Sergeant 1st Class; Specialist 1st Class

 

E5 Sergeant; Specialist 2d Class

 

E4 Corporal; Specialist 3d Class

 

E3 Private First Class

 

E2 Private E2

 

E1 Private E1

 

War Department Circular No. 670-3, dated 12 October 1955, stated the effective date for the above change was 1 July 1955. New descriptions contained in AR 670-5, dated 20 September 1956, changed the color of the background to Army Green (the color of the new uniform) or Army Blue with the chevron, arc, lozenge and eagle to be gold. There were no changes in the design for NCO and privates; however, the design for specialists was an embroidered eagle device on a 2 inch wide background arched at the top and shaped like an inverted chevron on the bottom with embroidered arcs as follows:

 

Master Specialist (E7). Three arcs above the eagle device.

 

Specialist First Class (E-6). Two arcs above the eagle device.

 

Specialist Second Class (E-5). One arc above the eagle device.

 

Specialist Third Class (E-4). Eagle device only.

 

 

 

Source: The Institute of Heraldry

[jcroach1]

Thank you to both of you for the information.

 

Now I'm really confused.

 

05B4S, I had found that site before. It seemed to match what I remember from my youth. i remember him telling me he was a "specialist" and he was an E-5 grade. Of all the things I remember, why that?! I also seem to remember a specialist patch similar to the third one I posted in our house when I was a kid.

 

Also, his discharge papers from 1956 list the SP2 rank and state something to the fact that he had been "in charge of other soldiers and personnel issues." I don't know much about the military, but I wouldn't think this could have been said about a PFC.

 

However, I looked back through my photos and a few that I have that show a rank insignia clearly show a PFC rank insignia similar to the ones that craig_pickrall posted. These may have been very early in his service time.

 

The first 2 insignia that I posted, what era are they from?

 

I'll post more when his discharge papers in hand this weekend. Thank you both for the posts!

[craig_pickrall]

I hope this doesn't confuse you even more but here goes. The photos you show are with merrowed edges. That edge type did not start until 1968 or 69. You need the cut edge type. In your fathers era those would have been the small size.

[jcroach1]

I hope this doesn't confuse you even more but here goes. The photos you show are with merrowed edges. That edge type did not start until 1968 or 69. You need the cut edge type. In your fathers era those would have been the small size.

 

Thanks again. Especially for the cut edge vs. merrowed edge information. It actually clarified a lot!

[jcroach1]

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

 

I've got more information, but also more questions.

 

My Mom brought me his discharge paper and some of his items. In the item was one of his Specialist, 2nd Class rank insignia. It looks like this, but with cut edges instead of the merrowed edges:

 

 

His discharge paper do not say "(1)" but instead say SP2(T), which I've come to learn means temporary. He was promoted to SP2 on July 26, 1955, which was just 15 days after the rank went into effect according to the information that 05B4S posted.

 

What confuses me now is that I also have some clipping from his hometown newspaper stating his rank is Corporal. I don't have dates on these clippings. The paper may have been wrong. Is it possible that he was promoted to Corporal (E-4) before the Specialist rank was created, then in 1955 promoted to SP2 (E-5)?

 

So, his PFC and Corporal rank insignia, some time between 1953 and July 1955, would they have been the 3 1/8 inch wide OD on Blue chevrons? Is that correct?

[jcroach1]

What confuses me now is that I also have some clipping from his hometown newspaper stating his rank is Corporal. I don't have dates on these clippings. The paper may have been wrong. Is it possible that he was promoted to Corporal (E-4) before the Specialist rank was created, then in 1955 promoted to SP2 (E-5)?

 

So, his PFC and Corporal rank insignia, some time between 1953 and July 1955, would they have been the 3 1/8 inch wide OD on Blue chevrons? Is that correct?

 

Never mind. I found some pictures of him with his Corporal chevrons while he was still in Korea (approx. Sept 53-Sept 54). Will post scans later.

[B229]

Some facts need to be straightened out here that will hopefully avoid further confusion.

 

1. The specialist insignia was never OD, it was always Army Green or blue, as appropriate for those uniforms.

2. Since the new specialist rank structure was introduced in 1955 before the new Army Green uniform was formally introduced (1956), the specialist rank in Army Green was produced to allow it's immediate use. It was very common to see it worn on the OD uniform.

3. The specialist insignia was 2" wide for all personnel from 1955-1958. Male specialist rank became 3.5" wide in 1958 and the 2" insignia was retained for female personnel.

4. The merrowed edge was adopted as standard in 1966. (the spec rank shown in post #1 is actually female).

5. EM rank, other than the specialist rank, was 3.5" wide, OD on blue, from 1951-1956. In 1956 it changed to yellow-gold on Army Green.

6. There's no such thing as an M1951 "Ike" jacket. There is a P1944, a P1946, an M-Q1, an M-1950, and probably a few others, but there's no M1951. All of these patterns were issued and worn side-by-side during this period with no distinction between them, so your father could have worn anyone of them.

7. Yes, it is possible that he was promoted temporarily from E4/Corporal to E5/Specialist 2d Class in 1955, and from the information you posted it sounds like that's exactly what happened.

 

I hope that helps.

[jcroach1]

I hope that helps.

 

It did. Thank you!

 

Here's a scan of his actual SP2 rank insignia.

[B229]

It did. Thank you!

 

Here's a scan of his actual SP2 rank insignia.

 

No problem. The 1950's can be confusing since there are a lot of things changing in a short period of time.

[05B4S]

Some facts need to be straightened out here that will hopefully avoid further confusion.

 

1. The specialist insignia was never OD, it was always Army Green or blue, as appropriate for those uniforms.

2. Since the new specialist rank structure was introduced in 1955 before the new Army Green uniform was formally introduced (1956), the specialist rank in Army Green was produced to allow it's immediate use. It was very common to see it worn on the OD uniform.

3. The specialist insignia was 2" wide for all personnel from 1955-1958. Male specialist rank became 3.5" wide in 1958 and the 2" insignia was retained for female personnel.

4. The merrowed edge was adopted as standard in 1966. (the spec rank shown in post #1 is actually female).

5. EM rank, other than the specialist rank, was 3.5" wide, OD on blue, from 1951-1956. In 1956 it changed to yellow-gold on Army Green.

6. There's no such thing as an M1951 "Ike" jacket. There is a P1944, a P1946, an M-Q1, an M-1950, and probably a few others, but there's no M1951. All of these patterns were issued and worn side-by-side during this period with no distinction between them, so your father could have worn anyone of them.

7. Yes, it is possible that he was promoted temporarily from E4/Corporal to E5/Specialist 2d Class in 1955, and from the information you posted it sounds like that's exactly what happened.

 

I hope that helps.

 

 

What about these from 1967

 

[B229]

What about these from 1967

 

1. The specialist rank for wear on the service uniform was never yellow-gold on OD, it was always yellow-gold on Army Green or blue, as appropriate for those uniforms.

 

Happy now? Adding in something that has nothing to do with the original poster's question really only serves to confuse the issue further.