MilidarUSMC
Active member
in the O's a Lt. comes before a Major, until you get to the generals, why is it that a Major General comes before a Lt. general? ill answer it in 3days...if i remember if no-one gets it and you want the answer just PM me
USMC rank
bulldogg
Milforum's Bouncer
MilidarUSMC
Active member
good job bulldog, i just found that out like a week ago 
. thought i would share it.
. thought i would share it.
MilidarUSMC
Active member
lol wierd how that question pops up in several places at one time .
.
Rob Henderson
Banned
LOL. Dont ask questions. Just accept it and move on.
bren122
Active member
actually the ranks come from the mercenary companies of italy- originally a seargeant major was a commissioned rank usually, though not always, elected by the men of the unit (usually from their most experienced men- the seargeants- hence the major of seargeants) to 'audit' the captain's books. as most captains were fighters and not administrators the task of looking after his books fell to his lieutenant- a french term of rank meaning that he had received a commision in lieu of tenancy (wandering knight). eventually the ranks took on the tasks much as they did today when the french army adopted the company system- the seargeant major became non- commissioned mainly because he was still seen to represent the troops and was generally drawn from the ranks- not a gentleman at all and certainly not commissioned to his post by a higher authority. eventually his value was such that he would often receive the warrant of the monarch to honour his service; this entitled him to the salute of his subordinates and assured the foe that he would be ransomed if captured.
the ranks then go up in the same sets of three- the seargeant title gets dropped for major- the lietenant colonel is assistant to the captain colonel; the title captain was dropped but it is still poetic license to refer to a colonel as a captain of men. originally the captain colonel was actually required to serve with HIS regiment but with the increase in the purchase system to finance armies it became an honorary title. however, as it was his property, he could review it any time he chose. increasingly the running of the regiment fell to the lieutenant colonel which was the highest rank a professional officer could hold. even now it is customary for a general's personal staff to be no higher than the rank of lieutenant colonel.
from the regiments is formed the army- the ranks were originally seargeant major general- lieutenant general- captain general.
in royalist armies the captain general was usually listed as the monarch; since queens and increasingly kings did not go to war it became customary for the operational head of the army to be a Lieutenant General. i think, but am not sure, that one of the titles of the President of the United States is/was Captain General of the Army- though it is of course customary now to simply refer to them as commander in chief.
with the addition of extra forces the system broke down in some armies so that the step above (captain-) general is Marshall or Field Marshall whilst others have a colonel-general. the Marshall/ Field Marshall title owes to their status as companion to the Monarch- a marshall was originally the title given to the man who 'marshalled' the kings horses. as the mounted warfare aspect became all important in military affairs the Marshall required a lot of experience to choose the best horses for the king's entire household- this also meant that the Marshall increasingly became a crucial adviser to the king in terms of military advice on the battlefield and off- which of course required a knight and eventually a noble to keep with the monarch's dignity and the experience of the command of men.
NCO ranks are also drawn from the same source. a lance corporal is commander of the smallest fighting unit- the term lance derives from the medieval armies where a knight was accompanied by two or three men at arms, a squire or two and several page boys- the whole being called a lance.
the term corporal derives from the the italian term for the head of a body of men-to signify the smallest unit of disciplined maneuvre- hence corporal's punishment for men who failed to do so. (or so i am told)
seargeant was a french term deriving from the notion that he served his lord in command of his unit- seargeant at arms being the supervisor of the men at arms.
colour seargeant(s) were so called because they held the monarch's colours and later the colours of the regiment.
i have yet to discover the actual origin of the title staff seargeant- one explanation lies in the fact that the seargeants used a staff in order to dress the lines of men in battles. it could also derive from their position as quartermaster of the company either as being on the staff of the captain or that his title derived from his badge of office- his staff. it might be as simple as his march order- at the rear with the baggage and thus upon the distaff (or opposite) side of the line of march from Seargeant major.
again the system breaks down with the advent of the larger modern armies- several armies make do with classes of rank (1st seargeant, 2nd seargeant) or else separate titles (specialists, etc) funnily enough the title of gunnery seargeant may originate in the navy- as the senior man, and probably most experienced infantry soldier on ship it may well have been his job to judge the gunnery and when it was time to board an enemy vessel.
Bombardier was originally thought to derive from the old Grenadier companies; so many men with carbines/ rifles and so many with bombs (hand grenades). as they were usually a storming party they were collectively known by their main weapon- the grenade. grenade itself derives from the weapon's similarity in appearance and design to the pomegranate. in fact the bombardier draws his name from the bombard; originally any piece of artillery serving with the infantry. when Charles V formed his army he appropriated the term (and the guns) to form some of his standardised artillery regiments.
the ranks then go up in the same sets of three- the seargeant title gets dropped for major- the lietenant colonel is assistant to the captain colonel; the title captain was dropped but it is still poetic license to refer to a colonel as a captain of men. originally the captain colonel was actually required to serve with HIS regiment but with the increase in the purchase system to finance armies it became an honorary title. however, as it was his property, he could review it any time he chose. increasingly the running of the regiment fell to the lieutenant colonel which was the highest rank a professional officer could hold. even now it is customary for a general's personal staff to be no higher than the rank of lieutenant colonel.
from the regiments is formed the army- the ranks were originally seargeant major general- lieutenant general- captain general.
in royalist armies the captain general was usually listed as the monarch; since queens and increasingly kings did not go to war it became customary for the operational head of the army to be a Lieutenant General. i think, but am not sure, that one of the titles of the President of the United States is/was Captain General of the Army- though it is of course customary now to simply refer to them as commander in chief.
with the addition of extra forces the system broke down in some armies so that the step above (captain-) general is Marshall or Field Marshall whilst others have a colonel-general. the Marshall/ Field Marshall title owes to their status as companion to the Monarch- a marshall was originally the title given to the man who 'marshalled' the kings horses. as the mounted warfare aspect became all important in military affairs the Marshall required a lot of experience to choose the best horses for the king's entire household- this also meant that the Marshall increasingly became a crucial adviser to the king in terms of military advice on the battlefield and off- which of course required a knight and eventually a noble to keep with the monarch's dignity and the experience of the command of men.
NCO ranks are also drawn from the same source. a lance corporal is commander of the smallest fighting unit- the term lance derives from the medieval armies where a knight was accompanied by two or three men at arms, a squire or two and several page boys- the whole being called a lance.
the term corporal derives from the the italian term for the head of a body of men-to signify the smallest unit of disciplined maneuvre- hence corporal's punishment for men who failed to do so. (or so i am told)
seargeant was a french term deriving from the notion that he served his lord in command of his unit- seargeant at arms being the supervisor of the men at arms.
colour seargeant(s) were so called because they held the monarch's colours and later the colours of the regiment.
i have yet to discover the actual origin of the title staff seargeant- one explanation lies in the fact that the seargeants used a staff in order to dress the lines of men in battles. it could also derive from their position as quartermaster of the company either as being on the staff of the captain or that his title derived from his badge of office- his staff. it might be as simple as his march order- at the rear with the baggage and thus upon the distaff (or opposite) side of the line of march from Seargeant major.
again the system breaks down with the advent of the larger modern armies- several armies make do with classes of rank (1st seargeant, 2nd seargeant) or else separate titles (specialists, etc) funnily enough the title of gunnery seargeant may originate in the navy- as the senior man, and probably most experienced infantry soldier on ship it may well have been his job to judge the gunnery and when it was time to board an enemy vessel.
Bombardier was originally thought to derive from the old Grenadier companies; so many men with carbines/ rifles and so many with bombs (hand grenades). as they were usually a storming party they were collectively known by their main weapon- the grenade. grenade itself derives from the weapon's similarity in appearance and design to the pomegranate. in fact the bombardier draws his name from the bombard; originally any piece of artillery serving with the infantry. when Charles V formed his army he appropriated the term (and the guns) to form some of his standardised artillery regiments.
A Can of Man
Je suis aware
Very interesting stuff and very enlightening!