“Specialist” as a rating was created at the start of WW2 to to take advantage of draftees’ civilian life skills. “Specialist A” specifically was made in February 1942 for “Athletic Instructors”.[1] It was famously awarded to professional athletes during the war so they could be paid for their service, for example playing exhibition games or managing recreational facilities/clubs, to keep troop morale high [2]. Besides professional athletes, this rating was also awarded to actual physical training instructors whose job was to physically condition fresh recruits [3].
Specialist A was officially renamed “Physical Training Instructor” in 1944. After WW2, in 1948, Emergency Rating E took over the job for Physical Training Instructor” and the Specialist A designation was re-used for Airship Riggers. Finally, in 1955, it was re-designated for Aircraft Carburetor Mechanic, before being completely retired in 1959 [4][5][6].
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“H. N. Welborn, CSP” is listed several times on an index document of company photos printed on September 27, 2006 by the Naval History and Heritage command.[7]
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