Following a couple of threads I read on this board, I’m utterly confused by the various kind of sergeants existing in the US army. There are gunnery sergeants, sergeant majors, drill sergeants, lance sergeants, master sergeants, staff sergeants, etc…ad infinitum. I searched on the net but the references I found were even more confusing (in particular it seems the names used and the jobs depends on the branch of the military (or perhaps I’m wrong on this one), and changed over the course of history.
So could someone explain to me what are the different NCO/sergeant ranks in the US army, their hierarchical order, and what is usually their job (assuming that in some cases a particular kind of sergeant has usually or generally a particular kind of duty)? By the way, are there NCOs which aren’t called “sergeant something” or “something sergeant” but have a completely different rank name?
Being that drill sergeants are a distinctly different ‘set’ from any and all other sergenats, the only reference I can give you is this which will give you a good idea.
If you go across the lines, you’ll see that the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army are quite close, but that they do have several differences at the lower ends: A Marine Gunnery Sergeant is simply a different name for an Army Sergeant First Class. The Marines have a Lance Corporal equivalent to the Army Private First Class, but the Marines also have a Private First Class equal to the Army Private (with a chevron). (Just to be confusing, the Army has two ranks of private. The lower rank has no insignia and the higher has a single chevron.)
A drill sergeant is not a rank, it is a job. It is a sergeant whose job it is to instruct recruits in the drill of military formations (and generally teach civilians how to be soldiers or marines). In the Marines, at least, the job is Drill Instructor, but since they are always sergeants, the “drill sergeant” name appears in casual conversation.
The Marines used to have a Lance Sergeant position on occasion, but it was a brevet (temporary) rank to indicate authority that had not yet been confirmed by an official raise in rank. It is not, as far as I know, ever used any more.
No, that’s not so. And I am shocked, shocked, to discover someone that wouls post inaccurate information in GQ.
Correct protocol requires that the Sergeant Major of the Army salute a newly minted Second Lieutenant.
The only tradition I’m aware of that may change this is a man who was been awarded the Medal of Honor; he is, I understand, saluted first regardless of rank.
I also understand this to be a matter of tradition, not codified protocol.
Regarding salutes, yes, the Sergeant Major of the Army is required to salute the greenest second lieutenant, although it might be quite intimidating to the second lieutenant. Just think of it, the senior-most enlisted man has to salute you. Consider the burden of being worthy of that salute!
This Department of Defense web page has all of the U.S. military mnlisted rank insignia. It shows all of the various ranks of sergeants in the U.S. Military.
One question that I’ve always had is why there are two or more sergeant ranks within the same service at the same pay grade in the in the U.S. Military. What is the difference, for example, between an Army or USMC E-8 Master Sergeant and First Sergeant (or a USAF Senior Master Sergeant or First Sergeant)?
I also see from the linked page that an Army E-4 Corporal outranks a Specialist in in the Army, but not across the services. What’s the reason for this?
Corbomite: BTW, there are FIVE branches to the United States Armed Forces. But, your linked info should still be safe: the USCG uses the same terms for their ranks as the Navy does for theirs.
There is only one First Sergeant in an Army company. The senior E8 in the company is known as ‘Top’, the First Sergeant. He wears the three-up, three-down chevrons with the diamond in the middle, and serves as the company commander’s chief advisor on enlisted matters. The company’s other E8 billets are Master Sergeants.
I assume it’s the same for the the sergeant major and the command sergeant major. If I’m right, at which level is there a “command sergeant major”? At the regimental level?
The CSM (and corresponding ranks in other services) is a special detail rank, similar in function to that of the Sergeant Major of the Army (and its correlates), but below that particular position. COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR AND SERGEANT MAJOR, U.S. ARMY
In the Air Force, First Sergeant is a special position, not a rank. Any unit with more than some given number of enlisted personnel – I don’t know the actual threshold but probably around 50 – will have some senior NCO (E7-E9) appointed as First Sergeant. The selection is based not on rank but on experience and the desire to take on the job.
The 1st Sgt has duties that are specifically oriented towards morale and discipline, not direct mission accompolishment, .i.e. the 1st Sgt doesn’t get involved in fixing airplanes.
The AF has a 2 month (IIRC) long special school for 1st Sgts and a graduate of that school will be assigned to new units specifically to be a First Sergeant, rather than in his/her original specialty. First Sergeant is a prestigious position and is generally a stepping stone to the highest enlisted positions in the AF.
The Army also assigns other than Master Sergeants (E8) into the First Sergeant position. For those Sergeants First Class (E7) who get such an assignment, they do not get to wear the diamond in their chevrons (Note: the Air Force, OTOH, does require that for those serving in the First Sergeant position). The E7 First Sergeant is still referred to as “First Sergeant.”
Regarding saluting: In the Navy, one doesn’t generally salute indoors.
Also, be careful. From my own experience calling a First Sergeant in the Army a “sergeant” would be acceptable, but calling a USMC Gunnery Sergeant “sergeant” would get you castrated.