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MOS - Military Occupational Specialties

MOS information provided by Sgt. Barrows

Upon entry into the U.S. Army all personnel went through the same general format of training. A new recruit would begin with an eight-week period of BASIC, where you received training in the basics of soldiering such as customs, courtesies and basic infantry training. Upon completion of basic, soldiers were then sent to AIT (Advanced Individual Training). This is when a soldier would receive their official training of their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Once AIT was completed soldiers would either be sent to their first duty station or some would go on to other training (further specialized training, NCO School, or Office Candidate School).

Military Occupational Specialty is another way of saying job classification. The U.S. Army used alpha codes (i.e. 11E10, Armor Crewman) to identify the MOS (job) each person was official trained in. The U.S. Army changed the MOS coding structure sometime in the 1980s, so the MOS codes, which we held in Viet Nam, are now part of history.
    Different MOS coding systems were used for enlisted, warrant officers, and officers:

  • Enlisted codes consisted of five digits. The first three (i.e., 11E) indicated the job while the fourth and fifth indicated the relative level.
  • Where the individual held a Special Qualification Identifier (SQI) for special training or skills, the last character was an alpha SQI that indicated the qualification.
  • Warrant Officer MOS Codes were also 5 digits, but the first four indicated the position, with the last available for an SQI suffix.
  • Commissioned Officer codes were numerical; four digits indicated MOS and an optional one digit SQI prefix indicated a special qualification.
Ideally upon assignment to their unit a trooper would be assigned a duty that reflected their MOS. Reality was much different, thus a trooper would have a PMOS (Primary MOS - the job a trooper would have received their official training in) and DMOS (Duty MOS - the job a trooper was assigned to). Thus you could have 11E serving in a duty position of 11B, etc. We ask that you help build the Stories and Images related to the various DMOS's the 4/12th encompassed from 1968 - 1971. These would be duties you were assigned to regardless of whether it matched your MOS. Send us a photo, a story, or both; you may also send additional MOS listings for this page.

Last Name:   First Name:

Recollection:

   
Images: Send a photo of yourself in a duty position as an email attachment to Site Administrator

Please name your image with your last name, and in the email note what DMOS you were filling at the time of the photo.

The following is a down and dirty partial MOS list:
We're counting on you to help us complete this list!

MOS CODE MOS NAME NAMES/PHOTOS/AIT
05B Radio Operator Coming Soon!
11B Infantryman (Grunt) 11B web page
11C Indirect Fire Infantryman (Mortarman) 11C web page
11D Armored Reconnaissance (Scout) Coming Soon!
11E Armored Crewman (Tanker) 11E web page
11H Infantry Direct Fire Crewman Coming Soon!
31B Field Communications Electronics Equipment Mechanic Coming Soon!
31G Tactical Communications Chief Coming Soon!
91A Medical Corpsman (Medic) 91A web page
45G Turret Artillery Repairman Coming Soon!
63A Mechanical Maintenance Helper Coming Soon!
63B Wheeled Vehicle Repairman Coming Soon!
63C Tracked Vehicle Repairman Coming Soon!
63D Quartermaster Light Equipment Repairman Coming Soon!
63G Fuel and Electrical Systems Repairman Coming Soon!
64A Light Vehicle Driver Coming Soon!
71B Clerk-Typist Coming Soon!
71H Personnel Specialist Coming Soon!
76A Supplyman Coming Soon!
76S Vehicle Materiel Supply Specialist Coming Soon!
76Y Unit Supply Specialist Coming Soon!
94A Food Service Helper Coming Soon!
94B Food Service Specialist Coming Soon!
1203 Tank Unit Commander Coming Soon!
1204 Armored Reconnaissance Unit Commander Coming Soon!
1542 Infantry Unit Commander Coming Soon!
1560 Infantry Unit Commander (Mechanized) Coming Soon!

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This site is in no way connected to, or sanctioned by, any official Army or Government entity. This is, and will be a work in progress; we apologize now for any errors and/or mistakes. Information for this site has been and will continue to be gathered from many different sources. It is intended as a place for fellow troopers, family and friends of A Troop 4th Squadron 12th Cavalry (Vietnam Era) to visit, seek contact with, gather information or some insight into the history, language and jargon of the people who were part of A Troop, then and now. A Troop 4/12 Cav (Vietnam Era) invites and encourages trooper's family members to participate in the troop's reunions, memorial services, remembrances of our fellow troopers who have passed on to Fiddler's Green, and to continue the camaraderie of the BROTHERHOOD....Long Live the Cav and its BROTHERHOOD!!