The Table of Organization, for those
of you who do not know, is the way
a business, a Corporation
or a military service unit is set up.
The idea being, to hand down orders,
advice, or criticism or accolades,
as the Head of the Organization, who
is the superior decider ,to the level
below you and then in turn to
prevail on the lowest member of this
team to provide the desired effect
for the entity for which you are responsible.
The United States Army is such an
endeavor.
My Company was part of the
army with a T.O. made up of a
Captain who was in charge of our Company
and responsible to the Major and a
Colonel in Battalion Headquarters.
The Captain has 2 silver bars as insignia.
to indicate his Rank.
He has a First Lieutenant,(one silver bar)
and 2 Second Lieutenants (1 brass bar)
The "Brass" is worn on the Epaulets
and/or the collar of the Officers uniform
The Lieutenants were each in
charge of one of the three Platoons.
Our Platoons had on average
55 personnel , a non-com, a Staff Sgt.,
who had his designated Rank which was
displayed on both sleeves of his uniform.
(a non-commissioned officer with
three inverted V stripes atop
one rocker joining the ends of the
inverted Vs, cup like, at the ends.
Three Buck Sgts.,( three stripes,
no rockers) each in control of one
of the three Sections of a Platoon .
A Section would have 17 or more men
including the Sgt, his Corporal.
and 15 Privates First Class, (a single Stripe)
and Buck Privates ...No Stripes.
Each Section can be broken down
into Squads of 4 or more men
with a Corporal (two stripes) Leader.
There is also a Service Platoon
with the job of taking on all kinds
of details that require skills
to make the Company more efficient.
Don't ask me what else they do.
I don't know.
They came out for Roll Call
every morning.
Never saw them again.
My Loss.
I was a Sgt.,with three years of service
and never knew what the Service
Platoon ever did.
Now to the T.O. ,which gave the rank and
job responsibility of the individual.
There is a Corporal Rank, a two striper,
whose job was to run the paperwork
and a T.O. of Company Clerk.
There was not one single issue of Company
business that did not go through the Corporal's
hands. Every order, every change of personnel,
every Court Martial, (military trial)
every promotion in Rank,
every time the upper echelon Officers or
Non-Commissioned Officers need advice
or a Jeep to goon a non sanctioned rendezvous,
all the intricate personal ventures by those
responsible for the survival of the Company
was an open book,To The COMPANY CLERK.
No wonder that EVERYONE was beholden
to him.
So there goes your T.O., down the drain.
The Corporal was the only one in Charge.
Remember "Mash"? How funny that was?
This Little Guy?
Ran the office and the
Officers?
No Joke!
Patton Didn't Win The War.
His Company Clerk did, Bless him.
I am very glad that you came by again.
Thank you.
