Petty officer third class (E-4)

How to read it

The rating badge on the left sleeve has an eagle over one chevron pointing down, with the sailor’s specialty mark between the eagle’s talons and the chevron. On khaki shirts, E-4 to E-6 sailors wear a small metal eagle and chevrons on both collar points, and the same eagle and chevrons go on the garrison cap. The Department of Defense says petty officer third class is where the Navy’s equivalent of a noncommissioned officer begins; navy.com calls it the transition from individual contributor to leader. The rank sits above Seaman (E-3) and below Petty officer second class (E-5).

Also searched as: E-4 navy, PO3.

What the symbol in the middle means

The small symbol between the eagle and the chevron is the specialty mark, which shows the sailor’s rating, the Navy’s word for a job. The uniform regulations list them: crossed anchors for a boatswain’s mate, a caduceus for a hospital corpsman, a helium atom for an electronics technician. The collar device on khakis has no specialty mark.

Rank and rate

Navy.com puts it this way: a rank identifies a sailor’s level of authority, while a rate identifies an enlisted sailor’s job specialty. Navy.com’s example is a petty officer second class (E-5) whose rate is hospital corpsman or machinist’s mate.

Chevrons pointing down

Navy petty officers have worn chevrons with the points down under a spread eagle since 1886, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Army and Marine Corps chevrons point up.