Technician fourth grade

Marlene Dietrich and U.S. Army Technician Fourth Grade Earl E. McFarland in Belgium in 1944

The rank of Technician Fourth 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 Sergeant. Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade. These skills could be directly related to combat, such as those skills possessed by a tank driver or combat engineer, or skills possessed by those in support functions such as cooks or mechanics. They were non-commissioned officers, as were sergeants but had no command authority. Initially, they shared the same insignia as sergeant, but on September 4, 1942, the three technician ranks were distinguished by a block "T" imprinted below the standard chevrons. Unofficial insignia using a technical specialty symbol instead of the T was used in some units.

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]

• United States Army enlisted rank insignia of World War II

• History of U.S. Army Enlisted ranks The Institute of Heraldry
• Rank, Enlisted, U.S. Army Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia