Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Incumbent: Sergeant Major Carlton W. Kent since: April 25, 2007
First	Wilbur Bestwick
Formation	May 23, 1957

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (officially abbreviated to SgtMajMarCor,^[1] and unofficially as SMMC^[2][3]) is a unique non-commissioned rank and billet in the United States Marine Corps.

In the Marine Corps, sergeant major is the ninth and highest enlisted rank, just above first sergeant, and equal in grade to master gunnery sergeant, 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 and to handle matters of discipline and morale among the enlisted Marines.^[1] The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is chosen by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve as his advisor and as the preeminent and highest ranking enlisted Marine.

Although not officially considered a Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, when Archibald Sommers 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.^[4]

The post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps was established in 1957 as the senior enlisted advisor to the Commandant of the Marine Corps,^[4] the first such post in any of the five branches of the United States armed forces.^[5] In 1970, the distinctive rank insignia of the Sergeant Major for the Marine Corps was authorized and features the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor 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 referred to as 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.^[5] Since Wilbur Bestwick was appointed the first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in 1957, 16 different Marines have filled this post.^[4]

Sergeants Major

#	Picture	Name	Tenure from	Tenure to
1		Bestwick Wilbur Bestwick[6]	01957-05-23 May 23, 1957	01959-08-31 August 31, 1959
2		Rauber Francis D. Rauber[7]	01959-09-01 September 1, 1959	01962-06-28 June 28, 1962
3		McHugh Thomas J. McHugh[8]	01962-06-29 June 29, 1962	01965-07-16 July 16, 1965
4		Sweet Herbert J. Sweet[9]	01965-07-17 July 17, 1965	01969-07-31 July 31, 1969
5		Dailey Joseph W. Dailey[10]	01969-08-01 August 1, 1969	01973-01-31 January 31, 1973
6		Puckett Clinton A. Puckett[11]	01973-02-01 February 1, 1973	01975-05-31 May 31, 1975
7		Black Henry H. Black[12]	01975-06-01 June 1, 1975	01977-03-31 March 31, 1977
8		Massaro John R. Massaro[13]	01977-04-01 April 1, 1977	01979-08-15 August 15, 1979
9		Crawford Leland D. Crawford[14]	01979-08-16 August 16, 1979	01983-06-27 June 27, 1983
10		Cleary Robert E. Cleary[15]	01983-06-28 June 28, 1983	01987-06-26 June 26, 1987
11		Sommers David W. Sommers[16]	01987-06-27 June 27, 1987	01991-06-27 June 27, 1991
12		Overstreet Harold G. Overstreet[17]	01991-06-28 June 28, 1991	01995-06-29 June 29, 1995
13		Lee Lewis G. Lee[18]	01995-06-30 June 30, 1995	01999-06-28 June 28, 1999
14		McMichael Alford L. McMichael[19]	01999-06-29 June 29, 1999	02003-06-26 June 26, 2003
15		Estrada John L. Estrada[20]	02003-06-27 June 27, 2003	02007-04-25 April 25, 2007
16		Kent Carlton W. Kent[21]	02007-04-25 April 25, 2007	present

See also

• Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
• Sergeant Major of the Army
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

References

General

• "Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps". Marine Corps Legacy Museum. http://www.mclm.com/gallery/sgtmaj.html. Retrieved 2006-10-04. 
• "Sergeants Major of the Marine Corps". History Division, United States Marine Corps. http://tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Frequently_Requested/Sergeants_Major.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-01. 
• "SgtMaj of the MC Biography". United States Marine Corps. http://www.marines.mil/units/hqmc/smmc/Pages/default.aspx. Retrieved 2008-04-20. 

Specific

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