Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

What was a Tech 4 in the US Army and what were they assigned to

Discussion in 'Military Service Records & Genealogical Research' started by Trish, Feb 7, 2019.

  1. Trish

    Trish New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    0
    My grandpa was a Tech 4. Don't remember him ever talking about Army things
     
  2. RichTO90

    RichTO90 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2015
    Messages:
    2,562
    Likes Received:
    1,036
    A Technician 4th Grade (abbreviated commonly to Tech-4) was a non-commissioned enlisted rank in the US Army established in January 1942 so that enlisted men with specialized skills could be paid at a higher grade, while they were not given the command authority of a regular non-commissioned officer (a sergeant or corporal). A Tech-3 was equivalent to a staff sergeant, a Tech-4 to a sergeant, and a Tech-3 to a corporal for pay purposes. They were found in all Army organizations, so simply knowing that someone was a Tech-4 does not tell us much about what their job was or what unit they may have been in. Knowing what their Specification Serial Number (SSN) was would give us an idea at least what job they performed, which would narrow things down a bit.
     
  3. Trish

    Trish New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2019
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    0
    I never heard of an SSN number only their army serial number. Thank you for answering for me
     
  4. RichTO90

    RichTO90 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2015
    Messages:
    2,562
    Likes Received:
    1,036
    Their SSN was a job descriptor and is usually found on their separation papers. It is frequently referred to by its modern equivalent, which is an MOS (military occupational specialty) number (the Army changed it from SSN after the war to keep from confusing it with a soldier's Social Security Number, which used the same abbreviation).
     

Share This Page