Marine Corps Sergeant

Sergeant is a junior noncommissioned officer rank in the USMC, and the oldest rank in the Marine Corps. Sergeants serve as squad leaders in combat operations, and lead a squad of eight soldiers including one or more Corporals.

Because the Marine Corps operates many missions on the fireteam and squad level, Marine Corps sergeants often have a great deal of leadership and responsibility in carrying out their objectives.

Because of their expanded role in direct combat oparations, promotion to sergeant is handled on a case-by-case basis. In their first step towards promotion, prospective candidates recieve an individual Fitrep (fitness report) from their commanding officer. Fitreps are concise documents outlining a Marine’s demonstrated skills, accomplishments, and leadership ability as well as their personal character. For each round of promotions, candidates are then selected for promotion to sergeant based on their qualification for the position as described in their individual Fitrep.

Sergeant is the 5th rank in the United States Marine Corps , ranking above Corporal and directly below Staff Sergeant. A sergeant is a Noncommissioned Officer at DoD paygrade E-5, with a starting monthly pay of $2,610.

How do you become a Sergeant?

A Sergeant is most often promoted from Corporal (Cpl), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience.

What are a Sergeant’s Responsibilities?

Sergeant is the fifth among Enlisted ranks in the USMC. It is the second Non-Commissioned Officer rank, with ever-higher expectations of leading and setting expectations for junior Enlisted Marines.

Sergeants are sometimes Squad Leaders in charge of 8 Marines, and in some cases Platoon Sergeants in charge of 3-5 Squads. They usually lead unit-level training. Sergeants continue developing their own skills through schools, self-education, strict self-discipline, and mentorship from Staff NCOs. It is critical for Sergeants to master their MOS as well as their interpersonal and leadership skills if they wish to become Staff Non-Commissioned Officers. Only the most elite are chosen to become Drill Instructors, enduring hell in order to earn their dreaded “green belts”.