The difference between a Master Sergeant and a First Sergeant is that the First Sergeant is sitting in a “command” type post. He is the top NCO in a company. He is responsible for the other NCOs and enlisted me.
Master Sergeants, on the other hand, do not sit in a command position.
Like the first sergeant, the Command Sergeant Major is a ‘command’ position, and exists first at the Battalion level. So, you’d have a Battalion Command Sergeant Major, who may move up to Brigade (or group) staff, and lose his or her wreath…then get it back again when serving as Brigade CSM. So on and so forth.
Just some more loose ends. In the US Army, you can address a Sergeant First Class (E7) and a Master Sergeant (E8) a “Sergeant”, but a First Sergeant (E8) is addressed as “First Sergeant” or “Top”. There is only one E8 in a line company and he the First Sergeant. (Headquarters companies may have multiple E8’s, but only one 1SG.)
Sergeant Majors or Command Sergeant Majors are both addressed as “Sergeant Major”.
A Corporal (E4) is a leadership position, but a Specialist (E4) is not. A team leader is usually a Sergeant (E5), but if you have an E4 filling this slot he could/should be laterally transferred from a SPC to a CPL. It is not required, though. Being slotted to go to corporal may also accelerate this soldier’s attendance at the 1st NCO leadership school. The CPL is and NCO, the SPC is not, so the CPL will out-rank the SPC if they are ever performing a mission together.
Line Company, Chain-of-Command positions
SGT, E5: Team leader (3-5 soldiers)
SSG, E6: Section leader/Squad leader (2-3 teams)
SFC, E7: Platoon leader (3 squads)
There are multiple (3-6) line platoons in a line company.
The SFC reports into the Lieutenant (2LT or 1LT). The number of people in these elements various depending on the branch within the US Army (Infantry, Signal Corps…)
There are staff and support positions in the headquarters platoon (supply sergeant, operations sergeant, NBC sergeant…) that have E5 and E6 ranks, too.
Once a soldier hits E8, he is out of the chain-of-command. Most of these positions are staff positions involving planning or logistics. A select few of these positions are slated as advisor-to-the-commander positions: First Sergeants for companies and Command Sergeant Majors for everything above that (battalion, brigade, division, corps…). While these NCOs reports into their respective commanders, they are also collectively referred to as the “NCO Support Chain”. As stated above, they are tasked with ensuring high morale or at least with solving problems that could cause low morale (pay problems, disciplinary issues, ration support…). They also, via various groupings, decide how NCOs are going to be promoted and what the requirements for promotion are going to be. (The officers must approve these decisions.)
But wouldn’t the Second Lieutenant then salute back? So they are actually saluting one another, aren’t they? Would an officer ever not salute back? If they failed to salute back, I suppose the enlisted guy would need to stand there, showing the salute. If I remember correctly, you should not terminate the salute until the officer salutes back. Would an officer ever ignore an enlisted member’s salute? Just wondering.
Hey, let’s not forget the most important Sergeant…the Supply Sgt
An officer should ALWAYS return a salute, unless in a situation where he/she physically could not or should not, at which time they should acknowledge the salute in some other way (a nod of the head, a few words, etc…).
Marines do not salute in the field or indoors, unless under arms, but a Marine unit serving on an Army base may adopt the practices of the Army to some extent. The Army does salute indoors and in the field, in my experience.
That is correct, protocol is to return the salute. The salute is initiated by the lower rank to show respect for a higher rank.
There are instances where the officer may not salute back. i.e. if their hands are full or if he was operating a vehicle. If the enlisted man is reporting then he must hold his salute until the officer has returned it. If they were approaching each other the lower rank must hold his salute until returned or until he has passed the officer.
Sure, if the officer was being an asshole or demonstrating his “superior” existence. While it doesn’t happen often, in my experience it usually tended to be some new 2LT feeling he was above such matters. This didn’t tend to last long before it was corrected by another officer. I once passed a couple of 2LTs in a parking lot that didn’t return my salute. Unluckily for them the BDE XO (a LT. Colonel) saw them and chewed a very wide and bloody strip down their back. The next time I saw one of them he was rather snappy with his salute.
But the specific circumstances vary. Indoors the salutes are when reporting and in other such formal situations (and just like the Marines, if under arms we had to be covered whether indoors or out). And in the frontline you avoid salutes to keep from tipping off enemy snipers. Of course, the CO can declare a whole piece of the post to be free of salute/headgear requirements (e.g. the campus of the Health Sciences Academy in Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio).
Those pages of ranks and insignia for US services given above all have at least some errors. I’m most familiar with Air Force ranks and I know that all of them have the E-4 grade wrong.
E-4 is traditionally the lowest noncommissioned officer grade, but in the Army and Air force, they’ve split it into an NCO and a non-NCO rank. The Army calls these Specialist (formerly Spec-4) and Corporal. Fernmeldetruppe described them above. The Air Force calls them Senior Airman (SrA) and Sergeant (Sgt).
When first promoted to E-4 in the Air Force, you always become an SrA. You then have to pass a course on being an NCO plus have at least one year in grade before you can become a Sgt. Technically it’s not a promotion since you’re still an E-4, but you can’t be promoted to E-5 without becoming a Sgt.
And the page with the insigniae has all the Airmen insigniae wrong. Airmen insigniae have a blue star, not a white one. The star is actually the same color as the background, but at close distances you can see it. The only difference between SrA and Sgt insigniae is the color of the star; they both have 3 stripes.
Oops. I’m probably mistaken on my post above. I described how it was when I was in the service, but that was over 10 years ago. Apparently, they’ve gotten rid of the Sgt rank and now E-4 is just SrA.
Or in the words of Emily Litella:
“Never mind”
This reminds me of a similar story a friend of mine told me about an incident in his battalion. A corporal inattentively neglected to salute a very new second lieutenant when they passed outside the orderly-room. The officer took umbrage, and ordered the corporal to stand at attention and salute one hundred times. At this point the adjutant stuck his head out the orderly-room and ‘reminded’ the young gentleman that a salute was a military courtesy that he was required to return. So the pair of them stood at attention and exchange salutes a hundred times.
The Sergeants’ Mess was very amused.
Regards,
Agback
This used to be the case, but a few years back (1997, IIRC), they phased out the “buck” Sergeant rank. An E-4 in the Air Force is now just a Senior Airman.
Tripler
But the other branches confuses me that way at times, tho. . .
Ignore me. I’m at the home end of a 650+ mile drive.
Tripler
:mad: Forgot to read the full freakin’ thread. :mad:
And if you’re talking about more than one, they’re “Sergeants Major” and “Command Sergeants Major” 
Now what was the question again SiR.
Over.
This is Deco Page Company Over.
Just who do you want to talk to? Over.
The person in charge.
Why, thats the Sergeant Major Sir, Sir.
Tell him to get his ass right down to HQ asap. I have a bone to pick with him.
His ass in in the shower, Sir.
His ass is grass, private.
I’ll tell him, Sir.
You do that.