SP5
Military abbreviation · US Army Rank
| Stands for | Specialist 5 |
|---|---|
| Categories | Military |
SP5 stands for Specialist 5, a US Army rank abbreviation.
Former Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-5, paid like a sergeant but without NCO authority and worn by technicians such as medics, clerks and mechanics. The Army abolished SP5 and SP6 in 1985 and converted holders to sergeant and staff sergeant.
Example: An SP5 medic, he treated wounded soldiers during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
Usage notes
The insignia was an eagle on a shield with one arc above it, while SP6 added a second arc. Older documents write the rank Sp5 or Sp/5. Many Vietnam-era veterans list SP5 on their discharge papers, which is why the abbreviation still appears in obituaries and genealogy records.
Related abbreviations
More US Army rank abbreviations
- 1LT – First Lieutenant (US Army)
- 1SG – First Sergeant (US Army)
- 2LT – Second Lieutenant (US Army)
- BG – Brigadier General (US Army)
- CDT – Cadet (US Army)
- COL – Colonel (US Army)
- Cpl – Corporal (US Marine Corps)
- CPT – Captain (US Army)
- CSM – Command Sergeant Major (US Army)
- CW2 – Chief Warrant Officer 2
- CW3 – Chief Warrant Officer 3
- CW4 – Chief Warrant Officer 4