Technician fifth grade
Technician Fifth Grade (Tec 5 or T/5) was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948.
| Technician Fifth Grade | |
|---|---|
 The Tec 5 insignia of a letter "T" below two chevrons. | |
| Country | United States |
| Service branch | United States Army |
| Abbreviation | Tec 5 or T/5 |
| Rank group | Enlisted |
| Pay grade | Fifth Grade |
| Formation | January 8, 1942 |
| Abolished | August 1, 1948 |
| Next higher rank | Technician Fourth Grade |
| Next lower rank | Private First Class |
| Equivalent ranks | |
History
The rank of Technician Fifth Grade was added by War Department on January 8, 1942, per Army Regulation 600-35. An update issued on September 4, 1942, added a letter "T" to the rank insignia.
Those who held the rank were often addressed as corporal, though were often called a "tech corporal". Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade, but had no command authority. The pay grade number corresponded with the technician's rank. Tec 5 was under the pay grade 5, along with corporal. Technicians were easily distinguished by the "T" imprinted on the standard chevron design for that pay grade.
The technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, though the concept was brought back with the specialist ranks in 1955.[1]