Private First Class is a junior enlisted member of the US Armed Forces, ranked between Private and Corporal. It is attained after 12 months of service and four months as a Private. The Army uses E-3 and the Marines use E-2 to designate this rank. NATO classifies it as OR-3 or OR-2.
A private first class is a junior enlisted member of the United States Armed Forces. In the Army, a private first class falls between a private and corporal rank, while the United States Marine Corps places this rank between that of private and corporal. Junior enlistees automatically attain this rank after a specified period of service, although automatic promotion may be expedited in some cases.
Under normal circumstances, someone attains the rank of private first class (PFC) after 12 months of service and four months at the rank of private. He or she can earn this degree in a shorter period of time with some college education or a notable performance in boot camp. Reaching high ranks in organizations like the Eagle Scouts can also involve accelerated progression through the lower ranks of the military.
In the Army, PFC is the third lowest enlisted rank, designated as E-3. In the Marines, the designation E-2 is used, reflecting the fact that private first class is the second lowest enlisted grade. Enlisted men generally seek to move quickly into the lower ranks so that they can access better salaries and more interesting and challenging positions that allow them to use the skills they learned during their military service.
Members of the Army with private rank first class wear an insignia that includes a single chevron and balancer. The balance wheel ensures that the rank is not confused with the lower rank of private. In the Marines, only one chevron is worn. As a general rule, the more insignia one wears, the higher his military rank; also chevrons and rockers indicate a correspondingly higher rank. Members of the military also wear additional uniform emblems, including collar insignia, which indicate military specialties and decorations.
According to the NATO classification system which is used to standardize and unify the militaries of various NATO members, private first class is known as OR-3 in the Army or OR-2 in the Marines. This classification system is used to ensure that ranks are clearly encompassed across a diverse number of services, so that individuals serve in the appropriate positions when participating in NATO missions. The OR-3 is comparable to grades such as Lance-Corporal in the UK, Kapral in Poland and Seersant in Estonia, while the OR-2 is equivalent to the French patent Matelot, Canadian Ordinary Seaman and Danish Marineoverkonstabel.
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