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Next above the T/5 and Corporal was the
Sergeant (Sgt), nicknamed "Buck" Sergeant. He
wore three stripes (chevrons). One called him and
all higher ranking NCOs "Sergeant" or "Sergeant
Smith." Or sometimes. familiarly, "Sarge." Chiefs
of howitzer sections were sergeants. So were
infantry squad leaders.
Sergeant
The Sergeant also had a counterpart, the
Technician Fourth Grade (T/4), who wore three
chevrons and a T. He was like a T/5, only more so.
Neither was necessarily a technician by trade. I
didn't know what to call him, either. The board
operators in the FDC were T/4s. So were
switchboard operators.
Technician Fourth Grade
The next rank was Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt)
with three stripes and an arc, sometimes called a
"rocker." He was also addressed as "Sergeant," only
with a little more respect. Battery mess sergeants
were S/Sgts. So were the chief of firing battery and
chief of detail in a firing battery and the chief
computer in the fire direction center.
Staff Sergeant
Above him was a Technical Sergeant (Tech
Sgt), not under any circumstances to be confused
with a Technician of any class. He wore three
chevrons and two arcs ("three up and two down"),
and if you called him "Sarge," he would probably
resent it. The operations sergeant in the S-2 Section
was a Tech Sgt.
Technical Sergeant
At the top echelon of the enlisted ranks were
the Master Sergeant (Mr Sgt) and the First Sergeant
(1st Sgt). They were the same rank and drew the
same pay, and they each wore three stripes and
three arcs, except that the 1st Sgt had a little
diamond, or lozenge, in the middle. lst Sgt was a
job, rather than a rank: he was the chief
administrator of a battery or company and usually
the Battery Commander's hatchet man. He was
nicknamed "Top Sergeant," "Top-Kick" or "First
Soldier. "
First Sergeant
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