Hello Gentlemen, My Dad's Discharge document lists him with (3) MOS codes - 745, 604 and 1736. (“Rifleman,” “Light Machine Gunner,” “Light Tank Crewman”) I have a couple of questions please. First, did having multiple MOS's affect his point total? Second, my friend's Dad was in the same battalion, but in a mortar squad, and his Discharge only shows the code for "Light Mortar Crewman" or 607. I don't understand why his Discharge didn't also include the 745 "Rifleman" code since he was infantry? Any thoughts? Thanks! James
The MOS was assigned based on the individuals job/training. Your friend's Dad was probably trained as a mortar crewman and served in that job throughout the War. He would only have been given the MOS of Rifleman if he actually did that job. In you Dad's case, it appears that he started out as a Rifleman and was subsequently assigned to the other MOS's possibly due, at least in part, to attrition. This was not uncommon toward the end of the War. The Light Tank Crewman might seem like an outlier, but assuming he was in an Armored Infantry Battalion, it seems a bit more plausible. As for question #1, I am not sure and so will let someone else handle it.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it! My Dad spoke of tank duty at some point during the war and has one photo of his tank. He trained at the Ft. Knox Tank school in KY before transferring to Campbell. He also mentioned changes to his duties due to attrition so that lines up as a possibility. Thanks again! James
I can't imagine having multiple MOS codes would affect point totals. It is unlikely that it would reset to zero every time the MOS changed. I haven't been able to find anything to corroborate this, but it seems logical. (I know, the Army doesn't always follow logic) Do you know what his ASR total was?
You are correct, Lou. I got a chance to do a quick search. Here is what it says on the Custermen.com website: Noticeably absent are any MOS based points. Another source I read was less ambiguous. It said very specifically, that these were the only criteria for getting points.
Hello Guys, After further researching a few more questions popped in my head please: 1. Regarding my Dad's MOS's, it only means he qualified for (3) but may have only used one in combat, correct? 2. My friend's Dad only qualified as a 607 and only served in a mortar squad, that's established. Would that mean he couldn't serve as a rifleman in another squad if needed? Also, since the mortar squad also operated a .30 cal machine gun in their half track, did they include a 604 machine gunner in their squad for that purpose? 3. In a fluid combat situation where out of necessity a soldier takes over another position that he may not have qualified on for example, then just went back to his normal MOS function afterwards, that wouldn't be on his Company's morning report necessarily, correct? Thanks! James
Hi Tommy, Just in general, when multiple MOS's are listed on Separation papers, were they all performed at some time during overseas duty, or could maybe only one have been perforned? The others simply listed just indicating qualification. Sorry, just trying to get a better grasp on these MOS's. Thanks, James
Yes. All of those are possible. The information on the Separation papers are for their total service, not just overseas. So, it is possible for someone to be trained as an anti-tank crewman in the States and then be transferred overseas to another unit and be re-trained as a radio operator. He would then be qualified for both MOS's, but will have only worked overseas as a radio operator.
