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Apparently, in Army terminology, quartermasters are more akin to the Navy's LS (Logistics Specialist) rate, which is what the old SK rate became redesignated as a few years ago. (crossed key rating badge - not called storekeeper anymore - one of many ratings that's merged and changed in the past decade). QMs in the Navy have always been involved in navigation and continue to be. They aren't involved in supply logistics.
I'm not sure why a poster would toss around "You were obviously never a sailor" crap, and then list a bunch of factually incorrect misinformation with outdated and plain wrong terminology for young would-be recruits to chance swallowing wholesale. But, then, this is the same poster who has been telling young women seeking information about the Navy that "WAVES" go to a separate boot camp that was shut down years ago, when women were granted permanent service status in 1948 and the Women's Reserve was discontinued as a program, with women being free to join the "regular" Navy. Some people persisted in using "WAVES" colloquially as interchangeable for females as "recently" as 40-ish years ago, but head on up to RTC and TSC at Great Lakes today, call females WAVES and see what kind of reaction that gets.
I bit my tongue on previous threads rather than choose to address the referring to contemporary female sailors as WAVES, and implying (incorrectly) that women get their own special basic training (they don't), but now that somebody else (an actual female veteran) has brought it up, um, yeah. Not correct, or appropriate.
Last edited by TabulaRasa; 09-04-2015 at 09:59 AM..
I hate to be a stickler but "RATE" refers to one's pay grade, E-5 for example.
"RATING" refers to one's job, QM (quartermaster) for example. So one would be exploring Navy ratings.
You would think even a NAVET off of that non-subsafe pigboat 633 would know that.
Sorry couldn't resist this fine morning.
You are correct!
The difference between rating/rate was really confusing to me as a civilian on a base when I was new to things and trying to get up to speed on the vocabulary, abbreviations, and acronyms, because SO MANY people use the two interchangeably to refer to occupational specialty.
I'm not sure how that even started, since rate and rating, despite sounding similar, are two totally different things in the Navy, but I wonder if the cute little "choose your rate/choose your fate" rhyme (which gets touted when cautioning recruits to think through what occupational area they end up in) started or added to the confusing usage. But, of course, you don't "choose" your actual rate (i.e. your pay grade), you earn/get promoted to it. That little saying is clearly talking about rating, not rate, but, yeah, doesn't rhyme or flow as nicely unless you shorten it.
But, yeah, many in the Navy definitely do colloquially use "rate" when they are referring to "rating," for whatever reason, even though rate really does mean what "rank" means in other branches. And, no, nobody wants to be corrected on it, even though it's not technically correct terminology.
The difference between rating/rate was really confusing to me as a civilian on a base when I was new to things and trying to get up to speed on the vocabulary, abbreviations, and acronyms, because SO MANY people use the two interchangeably to refer to occupational specialty.
I'm not sure how that even started, since rate and rating, despite sounding similar, are two totally different things in the Navy, but I wonder if the cute little "choose your rate/choose your fate" rhyme (which gets touted when cautioning recruits to think through what occupational area they end up in) started or added to the confusing usage. But, of course, you don't "choose" your actual rate (i.e. your pay grade), you earn/get promoted to it. That little saying is clearly talking about rating, not rate, but, yeah, doesn't rhyme or flow as nicely unless you shorten it.
But, yeah, many in the Navy definitely do colloquially use "rate" when they are referring to "rating," for whatever reason, even though rate really does mean what "rank" means in other branches. And, no, nobody wants to be corrected on it, even though it's not technically correct terminology.
Hi,
I agree that the terms were used interchangeably even when I was in almost 30 years ago. I just posted that to make Submariner chuckle as he served on a boat I also served on.
Let me clear a few things up. Mr Quiet is wrong. Rank is Pay grade. Rate is your job. About Adminstration Maintence Adminstrationman, If it's not offered at Meps and u scored high enough on your asvab then go undesignated airman and strike when u get to the fleet.
Retired PSC
Let me clear a few things up. Mr Quiet is wrong. Rank is Pay grade. Rate is your job. About Adminstration Maintence Adminstrationman, If it's not offered at Meps and u scored high enough on your asvab then go undesignated airman and strike when u get to the fleet.
Retired PSC
Sorry, your correction isn't correct. Navy enlisted Sailors do not have "rank", they have rates. Naval Officers have ranks. Rate is the pay grade and rating is the job.
" About Adminstration Maintence Adminstrationman..."
Sorry, that rating does not exist.
CM1, USN (RET)
Formerly ADR3
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Quiettemect
