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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:
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Enlisted codes consisted of five digits. The first three (i.e., 11E) indicated the job while the fourth and fifth indicated the relative level.
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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.
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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.
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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