Army ranks are confusing
I'm not an expert and those who are experts do not explain these things to me. It remains as puzzling to me as a game of chess with tin soldiers.
The "Private" symbol looks like a tent. The "Private First Class" symbol is the same with a "rocker" or "bedroll" under it.
The ranks of “Specialist” and “Warrant Officer” appear to emphasize technical expertise whereas others do not so much.
However, “Specialist” seems to be in actuality an indication of pure rank without particular specialty as a step in a scheduled career advancement. With a college degree it is apparently possible to enter service as a Specialist. This is apparently, even in the United States, subject to the same system of simultaneous recruiting as that for major Japanese corporations.
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In Japan, simultaneous recruiting of new graduates or periodic recruiting of new graduates (新卒一括採用, Shinsotsu-ikkatsu-saiyō) is the business custom in which companies hire new university graduates en masse. This custom was practiced in South Korea until a 2010 age discrimination law banned the practice. In 2018 the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) announced that its 1,600 member companies, which represent a large portion of Japan's big business companies, would no longer be required to follow the custom from 2020 onwards.
The Army in particular as well as other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces should do well to eliminate age discrimination.
The necessities of war and the willingness of the general population to fight for the cause of war should dictate military service, not youthfulness at the time of enlistment or extended boyhood at training camps.
Corporal (E-4) … responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of Soldiers.
Pack of razors? Access to showers and laundry? Lockers? Toiletries and sundries available for purchase at the commissary? Missing shoelaces and buttons? Sewing kits for uniforms? That's a lot for the men and boys to sort out with a goody two shoes shooting for a promotion and the other guy tripping over his shoelaces all the time.
Standing armies in peacetime are reviled in the Declaration of Independence, and accordingly the Constitution denies any peacetime Congressional appropriation of funds for the Army for any period of time exceeding two years. I have to say two years and thank you for your service with all due respect in pursuance of the Constitution. Any more than that is too much peacenik business in the Army. We need fresh recruits and term limits for Army officers who have been in office too long. Veterans and other citizens need real jobs out in real life to build the private sector of the economy.
The Japanese company “Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.” is instrumental in maintaining the aforementioned international systems of simultaneous recruiting of new graduates for corporate employment, which is characterized by the desire of wealthier older men for “young ass” in areas such as Silicon Valley in central California..
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Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. (株式会社リクルートホールディングス, Kabushikigaisha Rikurūto Hōrudingusu) is an HR Tech (human resources technology) holding company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. … Indeed: The #1 job site in the world with over 580 million job seeker profiles. Job seekers can search millions of jobs in more than 60 countries and 28 languages. … Glassdoor: A leader in workplace transparency. On Glassdoor, professionals can research ratings, reviews, salaries and more at millions of employers, and join communities to engage in candid workplace conversations.