"B2431" wrote...

If memory serves the C in CWO is for chief. I don't believe warrants are
considered commissioned.

Partially right...

The "C" in CWO does stand for "Chief," but the CWO2 - CWO5 ranks are indeed also
Commissioned. A few quick references:

Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary and are
specialists and experts in certain military technologies or capabilities. The
lowest ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant, but they receive
commissions from the president upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2. These
commissioned warrant officers are direct representatives of the president of the
United States. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned
officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are
generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force. --
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/alma.../officers.html

Officers in the Navy are either Line officers or Staff Corps. Among these
are also Limited Duty Officers and Commissioned Warrant Officers. Staff Corps
and Commission Warrant Officers wear Insignia in place of the Line officer's
star. -- http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ranks/rankrate.html

Commissioned officers in the Navy are either Line officers or Staff Corps
officers. Some have advanced through the enlisted rates and are designated for
duty in certain technical fields. These are Limited Duty Officers (LDO) and
commisisoned warrant officers (CWO). CWOs and Staff corps LDOs wear their
specialty insignia on the sleeve of the dress blue uniforms and on their
shoulder boards in place of the star worn by Line officers. On Winter Blue and
khaki uniforms, the specialty insignia is a collar device worn on the left
collar while the rank device is worn on the right. --
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/...t/ldo-war.html

Also see http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/...rs/o-rank.html


BTW, I made an error earlier -- the USMC still has WO1s; the Navy and Coast
Guard do not.