Technician fourth grade
United States Army rank
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Technician fourth grade (abbreviated T/4 or Tec 4) was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948.[1] The rank was created to recognize enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders.[2][3]
| Technician fourth grade | |
|---|---|
 The T/4 insignia of a letter "T" below three chevrons. | |
| Country | United States |
| Service branch | United States Army |
| Abbreviation | T/4 or Tec 4 |
| Rank group | Enlisted |
| Pay grade | 4th Grade |
| Formation | 26 January 1942 |
| Abolished | 1 August 1948 |
| Next higher rank | Technician third grade |
| Next lower rank | Technician fifth grade |
| Equivalent ranks | Sergeant |
History
The rank of technician fourth grade was authorized on 26 January 1942, per Executive Order No. 9041,[4] and was adopted by the Army effective 1 June 1942.[2] The rank insignia was finalized on 4 September 1942, adding a block "T" below the existing three chevrons.[1][5] Those who held the rank of T/4 were addressed as "sergeant," the same as the corresponding non-commissioned officer at the same pay grade.[6][7]
Technicians represented a wide variety of soldiers with specialized technical skills, including medics, radio operators and repairmen, mail clerks, mechanics, cooks, musicians, and tank drivers.[8][9][10][11][12] Initially, the three technician ranks held non-commissioned officer status.[2] However, as technicians received no formal NCO leadership training or qualifications, their entrance into the NCO ranks resulted in organizational confusion, dilution of the NCO corps, and lowered morale among senior NCOs.[6] Consequently, the Army revoked NCO status from technicians in November 1943.[6]
The technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system on 1 August 1948,[2] though the concept was revived with the specialist ranks in 1955.[1][13]
