United States Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Rank Insignia Patch E6, Data Processing Technician

A Petty Officer First Class is the third of the Navy's Petty Officer grades, and serves as a non-commissioned officer. A Petty Officer First Class serves both as a leader and as a technical expert, and all Petty Officers have a specified rating, or job. The exact title with which a petty officer is addressed depends on their specialty; a Petty Officer First Class serving as an Electronics Technician, for example, would have the full title of Electronics Technician First Class.
Petty Officer First Class is the 6th rank in the United States Navy with a grade of O-6, ranking above Petty Officer Second Class and directly below Chief Petty Officer.

The United States Navy occupational rating of data processing technician (abbreviated as DP) was a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted members who satisfactorily completed initial data processing technician "A" school training.

This navy rating originated as the machine accountant (MA) rating in large number of navy rating changes implemented in 1948. The rating name and designation was changed to data processing technician (DP) in 1967. The Navy disestablished the DP rating on 1 October 1997, combining DPs who had not previously changed ratings into the radioman (RM) rating. In 1999 the (RM) rating was re-designated information systems technician (IT). The radioman rating specialty mark was retained for use by the IT rating members. In 2005 the cryptologic technician communications (CTO) rating merged into the IT rating.

Data processing technicians operated data processing equipment including keypunch machines, sorters, collators, reproducers, tabulating printers, and computers; performed the administrative tasks for operating computer facility, including the handling of all classified material passing into or out of a computer system; designed, developed, tested, and maintained computer software.

Original Fabric Insignia patch with black backing and silver and red embroidery.