A few years ago it was. In the 90s the Air Force got rid of the buck Sgt (E-4) rand and made it Senior Airman, a Non-NCO grade. Now, only the Marines recognizes an E-4 as an NCO.
My mistake. When I was a Civil Air Patrol cadet a Sergeant was an E-4 - that was quite a while ago!
A few years ago it was. In the 90s the Air Force got rid of the buck Sgt (E-4) rand and made it Senior Airman, a Non-NCO grade. Now, only the Marines recognizes an E-4 as an NCO.