Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (officially abbreviated to SgtMajMarCor, pronounced "SimCorp" for short, and unofficially as SMMC) is a unique non-commissioned

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

rank and billet in the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

.

In the Marine Corps, sergeant major is the ninth and highest enlisted rank

Enlisted rank

An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...

, just above first sergeant

First Sergeant

First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...

, and equal in grade to master gunnery sergeant

Master Gunnery Sergeant

Master Gunnery Sergeant is the ninth and highest enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps...

, although the two have different responsibilities. Sergeant major is both a rank and a military billet, and serves as the unit commander's senior enlisted advisor

Senior Enlisted Advisor

A Senior Enlisted Advisor in the United States armed forces is the most senior enlisted service member in a unit, and acts as an advisor to the commanding officer. Most units will have a formal billet for the senior enlisted advisor, from a platoon's platoon sergeant to the Senior Enlisted Advisor...

and to handle matters of discipline and morale among the enlisted Marines. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is chosen by the Commandant of the Marine Corps

Commandant of the Marine Corps

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

to serve as his advisor and as the preeminent and highest ranking enlisted Marine with a protocol equivalency of a lieutenant general

Lieutenant General (United States)

In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

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Although not officially considered a Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, when Archibald Sommers

Archibald Sommers

Sergeant Major Archibald Sommers was the first member of the United States Marine Corps to be promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major on January 1, 1801.-References:...

was appointed to the grade of Sergeant Major January 1, 1801, it was a solitary post, similar to the modern billet of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. In 1833, an act of legislation made the rank of sergeant major permanent for the Marine Corps and by 1899 five Marines held the rank of sergeant major. This continued until 1946, when the rank was abolished, only to be re-introduced in 1954 as part of the Marine Corps rank structure.

The post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was established in 1957 as the senior enlisted advisor

Senior Enlisted Advisor

to the Commandant of the Marine Corps

Commandant of the Marine Corps

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

, the first such post in any of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

. In 1970, the distinctive rank insignia of the Sergeant Major for the Marine Corps was authorized and features the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. The current emblem traces its roots in the designs and ornaments of the early Continental Marines as well as the British Royal Marines. The present emblem, adopted in 1966, differs from the emblem of...

flanked by two stars, as opposed to the standard Sergeant Major rank insignia, which has a single five point star in the center. While Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is the full wording of the rank, verbal address for this is commonly Sergeant Major.

The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is selected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps and typically serves a four-year term with them, though his service is at the discretion of the Commandant. Since Wilbur Bestwick was appointed the first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in 1957, 17 different Marines have filled this post. In April 2011, Commandant James F. Amos

James F. Amos

James F. Amos is a four-star general in the United States Marine Corps and the 35th and current Commandant of the Marine Corps. A naval aviator by trade, Amos commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. He served as the 31st Assistant Commandant of the...

announced that Sergeant Major Micheal Barrett

Micheal Barrett

Micheal P. Barrett is the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps replacing Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011. As the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Barrett is the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.-Biography:...

would relieve Sergeant Major Kent and serve as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps on June 9, 2011.

Sergeants Major

#	Picture	Name	Tenure from	Tenure to
1		Bestwick Wilbur Bestwick Wilbur Bestwick Sergeant Major Wilbur Bestwick was the first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. He served in the post of senior enlisted U.S. Marine from 1957 to 1959.-Biography:...
2		Rauber Francis D. Rauber Francis D. Rauber Sergeant Major Francis Drury Rauber, the 2nd Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, died on 19 February 1991. He served as the Marine Corps senior enlisted man from 1 September 1959, until his retirement from active duty on 28 June 1962.-Biography:...
3		McHugh Thomas J. McHugh Thomas J. McHugh Sergeant Major Thomas J. McHugh served as the 3rd Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from June 29, 1962 until July 16, 1965.-Early life:...
4		Sweet Herbert J. Sweet Herbert J. Sweet Sergeant Major Herbert Joseph Sweet was the 4th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. He fought and was wounded in World War II and the Korean War.-Biography:...
5		Dailey Joseph W. Dailey Joseph W. Dailey Sergeant Major Joseph W Dailey served as the 5th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1 August 1969 until he retired from active duty in the Marine Corps on 31 January 1973. Dailey was the oldest living former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps when he died in 2007...
6		Puckett Clinton A. Puckett Clinton A. Puckett Sergeant Major Clinton A. Puckett served as the 6th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1 February 1973, until he retired from active duty on 31 May 1975. He served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; receiving the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism for actions during the Korean War...
7		Black Henry H. Black Henry H. Black Sergeant Major Henry H. Black, USMC retired, was the 7th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps .-Biography:Henry Black was born in Imperial, Pennsylvania, on February 9, 1929...
8		Massaro John R. Massaro
9		Crawford Leland D. Crawford Leland D. Crawford Sergeant Major Leland D. Crawford was the 9th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, serving as the senior enlisted Marine from 1979 to 1983.-Early life and training:...
10		Cleary Robert E. Cleary Robert E. Cleary Robert E. Cleary was the 10th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, serving in this position between 1983-1987. He was the last Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps to have served in the Korean War.-Early life:...
11		Sommers David W. Sommers David W. Sommers Sergeant Major David W. Sommers, USMC retired, was the 11th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps .-Biography:David Sommers was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 18, 1943 and attended Bishop DuBourg High School...
12		Overstreet Harold G. Overstreet Harold G. Overstreet Sergeant Major Harold G. Overstreet, USMC, was the 12th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps .-Biography:Overstreet was born in December 1944 in Houston, Texas He entered the United States Marine Corps in June 1966 and completed recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, followed by...
13		Lee Lewis G. Lee Lewis G. Lee Sergeant Major Lewis G. Lee served as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps . He retired from active duty in 1999 after over 31 years of service.-Biography:...
14		McMichael Alford L. McMichael Alford L. McMichael Sergeant Major Alford L. McMichael, USMC, was the 14th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps , and was the 1st Senior Non-Commissioned Officer for Allied Command Operations for NATO...
15		Estrada John L. Estrada John L. Estrada John L. Estrada was the 15th Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps. He succeeded Alford L. McMichael on June 26, 2003, becoming the 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. Estrada stepped down on April 25, 2007, turning over the post to SgtMaj Carlton Kent...
16		Kent Carlton W. Kent Carlton W. Kent Sergeant Major Carlton Wayne Kent was the 16th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, assuming the post on April 25, 2007. He succeeded John L. Estrada, who had been serving in that capacity since June 2003. He was replaced by Micheal Barrett on June 9, 2011.-Biography:Carlton Kent was born in...
17		Barrett Micheal P. Barrett Micheal Barrett Micheal P. Barrett is the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps replacing Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011. As the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Barrett is the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.-Biography:...

Sergeants Major

See also