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Master Sergeant

Marine Corps First Sergeant

E-8 Senior Enlisted Advisor, U.S. Marine Corps
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Marine Corps Ranks » First Sergeant Rank1stSg Pay1stSg Rank HistoryPromotion Information

How to get promoted to First Sergeant History of the Marine Corps First Sergeant Rank

A First Sergeant is a Senior Enlisted Advisor in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade E-8.

The rank of "First Sergeant" in the Marines has been in use since the 1830s, as the first among Sergeants of the Guard aboard ships.

Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' First Sergeant rank on Military-Ranks.org.


History of the Marine Corps

As far back as the Revolutionary War, Marines were known as Naval Infantry, and were assigned to ships to repel boarders, assault land-based targets, and discipline unruly Sailors. In WWI and WWII, Marines very successfully augmented Army units in war theaters throughout the world, with their most brutal and historic fighting on islands in the Pacific. In contrast with the Army, the Marines were not originally made to be self-sufficient to fight land wars for long periods of time. Doctors, Chaplains, and Medics who deploy with Marines are all Navy Sailors.