Technical Sergeant Stripes

Comments

Bob Rader - April 29, 2020

TSgt. later was two rockers. Straight rocker is correct. GSgt. was a billet and not a pay grade.

bob lake - April 29, 2020

I graduated in 1957 from Parris Island Platoon 283.Upon graduation our platoon right guide wore his buck sergeant stripes(three ) earned as a reservist..Several guys in my platoon were reservists who signed up for 6 months active duty and 4 years active reserve .They were treated the same as the other recruit ,like me,that enlisted for 3 or 4 years.

‘Stoney’ Brook - April 29, 2020

The chevrons shown with this story aren’t Technical Sergeant stripes. The Tech Sergeant rank looked like a then-Platoon Sergeant (three up, one down) but instead of a ‘rocker’ had a single bar (called a ‘tie’) at the bottom. This was designated as Pay Grade 3, as the paygrades were reversed from our current method [7 was Private, 6 was PFC, 5 Corporal, 4 Sergeant, etc, to Grade 1 as Master Sergeant]. The crossed rifles didn’t appear until 1959 with the USMC rank revision.

Johnny Reyes - April 29, 2020

I recall back in the ‘50s it was not unusual for Marine reservists to have little or no active duty. A friend of mine joined the local USMCR unit, the 14th Infantry Battalion, whiie still in high school. He graduated high school in 1950 and his unit was part of the reserve recall to bulk up the 1MarDiv at Camp Pendleton. He told me he attended basic training at the Chosin reservoir. He was a small guy and had trouble with frost bitten feet. He said he had trouble getting the old white Mickey Mouse cold weather boots. I haven’t seen my friend for about 50 years and suspect he has passed on, Semper Fi, old friend.