All Marines looking to make a career in the Corps must eventually choose between the E-8 ranks of first sergeant and master sergeant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each path offers radically different responsibilities and opportunities. And while the decision might seem far off to corporals and sergeants since Marines don’t have to declare the path they intend to take until they reach gunny, staff noncommissioned officers recommend they consider the decision carefully and early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest crop of gunnery sergeants vying to become first sergeants or master sergeants are before the Fiscal Year 2015 Sergeant Major through Master Sergeant Staff NCO Selection Board, which convened at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, for eight weeks beginning Oct. 22. The track Marines elect before going in front of that board is a career-altering decision that will shape the rest of their time in uniform, and could take them away from the military occupational specialty they’ve known since leaving boot camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corps officials and senior enlisted Marines say that while the choice is made at gunnery sergeant, the decision should start long before then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Do not wait until you are a gunnery sergeant,” said 1st Sgt. Oranjel Leavy, the Headquarters and Support Company first sergeant with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. “You should be making that decision now as a corporal or a sergeant.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That allows a young Marine to tailor their career experience and cultivate the skills that make a good first sergeant or master sergeant, which lead to sergeant major and master gunnery sergeant, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is what every Marine needs to know about which rank would fit them best, how they can groom themselves for their preferred path, and what the decision could mean for the rest of their career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing a path<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before grooming yourself to pursue either first sergeant or master sergeant, soul searching is in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many junior Marines have only a superficial understanding of the differences between them. They are likely to know their E-8 first sergeant or E-9 sergeant major as a hands-on leader often seen around garrison and in the field. If a Marine does something well, a first sergeant or sergeant major is likely to give a pat on the back. If someone steps out of line, he or she might put the fear of God into them. A master sergeant or master gunnery sergeant, on the other hand, often serves in a less visible role as a technical expert who is primarily concerned with making things run smoothly behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each is indispensable in their own right, said retired 13th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Gary Lee. But Marines should be well acquainted with the differences before committing to one or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The master sergeants and master gunnery sergeants are the ones that can tell the [commanding officer] why the airplane can’t fly, why an entry didn’t post to [the Marine Corps Total Force System], why the network is down,” said 1st Sgt. Christopher J. Lillie, with Headquarters Marine Corps. “The first sergeant is there as the CO’s senior enlisted adviser and has one primary responsibility and that is everything and anything to do with Marines. We counsel, educate, train, enforce, reward, discipline, assure, reassure and advise all Marines in the company.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lillie wanted to be a motivator-in-chief among Marines. For others, like retired Master Gunnery Sgt. Steve Soha \u2014 who was a military policeman and an infantry unit leader by trade until 2013 \u2014 personnel management didn’t suit him. While master sergeants and master gunnery sergeants stay in their career MOSs, those pursuing the first sergeant-sergeant major path move to the 9999 MOS, limiting them to leadership billets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I didn’t want get involved in details of the administrative side of things,” he said. “I wanted to stay in my MOS. When I realized everything involved in the career choices, I wanted to remain operational. My options would have been severely limited if I had gone the 9999 first sergeant-sergeant major route.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having chosen the technical route, Soha said he had the freedom to fill billets outside of his primary MOS. As a reservist who spent the end of his career working with the Wounded Warrior Regiment, the flexibility helped him stay activated, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lillie, however, wanted to help shape other Marines in his unit in the same way his inspiration, now-Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett, helped mold him. Barrett, who in 2007 was Lillie’s sergeant major with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, California, called him onto the carpet and told Lillie he was at a critical juncture in his career. He had to decide whether to take the first sergeant or master sergeant path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I was an administrator, and although I loved my job, I wanted more of a challenge,” Lillie said. “It was a pretty easy decision. I had watched Sergeant Major Barrett operate, I watched the way he advised the CO on everything, the way he motivated Marines. He demanded perfection \u2014 but educated [Marines] to get it. I wanted that role.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For some, moving to the 9999 MOS can be a refreshing change of pace. But it doesn’t come without its career dangers, according to Lee. After spending more than a decade learning an MOS inside and out, choosing the first sergeant route brings entirely new duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They are making a hell of a career lateral move,” Lee said. “They may have been the best crew chief or the best mechanic. If they had stayed in their MOS, they would still be best. Now they are in a new MOS and must perform.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some will thrive. Others will not. By the time they know for sure, it is too late for those performing poorly, and picking up sergeant major will be unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To avoid a regrettable decision, a sergeant or staff sergeant should consider shadowing a senior enlisted Marine from each of the career paths. It is a surefire way to gain an in-depth appreciation for the job each performs, Soha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Most guys have no idea what they do on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “I think it would be a really good opportunity for a young Marine.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting a head start<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though Marines don’t have to denote their intent to pursue first sergeant or master sergeant on their fitness report until they are gunnery sergeants, thinking about it early on can help junior Marines gain an inside edge. The assignments they accept and the education they pursue can prove to selection boards that they would make a great enlisted adviser or that they know the technical aspects of their MOS inside and out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Manpower and Reserve Affairs officials say staff sergeant is a good time to begin preparing for the decision, an array of senior enlisted leaders told Marine Corps Times otherwise. Starting as a corporal or sergeant gives a Marine time to make educational, special duty and billet choices based on their preferred route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
” I’d say to start as a sergeant, because as a sergeant, either path you are taking, you can do things to increase your promotability,” Soha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If you are going to go for master sergeant and master guns, then MOS credibility is everything. Go to every MOS-related school. Take MOS-related college work. Same thing for first sergeant and sergeant major. As a sergeant, you can go to the drill field. You could conceivably have multiple tours on the drill field by the time you get to gunny,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since first sergeant is a leadership position and a lateral MOS move, proving early on that you can thrive inside or outside your primary MOS and lead Marines is paramount. Special duty assignments help highlight the ability to succeed in any job. Leavy went the drill instructor route, and while he said it wasn’t easy, it paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The fear of the unknown gets all of us when first going into something you do not know anything about,” he said. “But showing the Corps you can step out of your MOS and be successful in an SDA speaks highly.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Leavy said he volunteered to fill a company gunnery sergeant billet three times, an operations chief billet, and worked as an acting first sergeant, showing he had what it took for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Professional military education is critical, too, he said. In addition to completing PME requirements, he attended the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program’s martial arts instructor-trainer course, the substance abuse control officer course, and the family readiness officer course showing he was dedicated to honing the skills needed to take care of Marines and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While he was certain he wanted to vie for first sergeant, he said he was careful not to limit his career options. A Marine can’t be sure he will get his preferred path. Selections are made based on the service’s needs so a board can choose someone to be a master sergeant who denoted a preference for first sergeant and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I geared myself for both ranks,” Leavy said. “A lot of Marines make the mistake just gearing themselves for one.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marines are typically in-zone for first sergeant before master sergeant, so if they don’t make first sergeant, but are well-rounded enough in their MOS to also be competitive for master sergeant, they could get a second chance to make E-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Career prospects<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manpower officials say Marines’ career decisions should be based on their personal affinity and aptitude. But for those whose only concern is picking up rank, many wonder which is easier to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no simple answer, officials say. Marines competing for first sergeant, and later sergeant major, are competing against all gunnery sergeants vying for selection to the 9999 MOS. Those going for master sergeant, and later master guns, compete only within their own MOS. That means competition for master sergeant can vary dramatically by MOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At face value, a Marine will note that far fewer are selected to first sergeant. The 2014 selection boards for example, selected nearly 53 percent of gunnery sergeants in-zone for master sergeant, but just 11 percent of those in-zone for first sergeant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In all 1,208 gunnies competed for first sergeant and 134 were selected to fill open billets in a community with an authorized FY15 end strength of 737 Marines total. By comparison, 720 Marines competed for master sergeant and 379 were selected to fill open billets in a community with an FY15 authorized end strength of 3,092.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Lee, those figures are misleading. The selection rate for first sergeants is lower in large part because so many more Marines compete for the rank, which is also significantly smaller. But more significant is the fact that unlike first sergeants, master sergeants only compete against other gunnies in their specific MOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You are competing against the very best Marines in your occupational field and that competition may be tougher than it would be to first sergeant,” Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I’m not saying that is a reason to make your decision though,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For an accurate comparison on competition, a Marine would have to look at the selection rates to master sergeant for their MOS, and then compare it to the overall selection rate of about 11 percent to first sergeant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Marine in a high-demand, low-density field like intelligence or explosive ordnance disposal might have a much better chance of being selected to master sergeant than first sergeant. On the other hand, a gunny in a typically competitive field like infantry may have a much more difficult time making master sergeant. In that case, first sergeant may be the equally or more likely path to E-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another potential advantage to selecting the first sergeant route is that a Marine can buy more looks at promotion by a selection board. Marines who put in for first sergeant are automatically considered for master sergeant if they fail selection to first sergeant. Those who fail selection to first sergeant do not gain a “passed-for-promotion” mark on their record \u2014 it buys them another chance at promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for job security, both ranks should offer the opportunity to serve on toward the maximum 30 years contingent on continued performance. Statistics from last few years of selection boards show that selection rates are holding relatively steady with slight fluctuations, and are for the most part unaffected by the drawdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While manpower officials didn’t explicitly rule out further reductions, they have said that they are not expecting any more significant cuts in the top two enlisted grades because there are relatively few Marines in those ranks, and many are tied to structure that is not likely to be trimmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“E-8, E-9 numbers are where they need to be at this point in the drawdown,” manpower officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the Corps is reshaping over the next few years, deactivating some units and consolidating others that perform similar functions, the service is not shedding many command elements. The Corps will continue to need about the same number of senior enlisted Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When considering future promotion opportunity to E-9, selection rates even out for both ranks at about 50 percent of in-zone Marines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sergeants major, however, truly are the selected few. While there are 1,076 master guns in the Marine Corps, there are just 500 sergeants major. Despite neck-and-neck selection rates to E-9, the sergeants major board considers fewer Marines for fewer open billets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personality and rank<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With fewer first sergeants and sergeants major \u2014 just one per unit \u2014 they are often viewed as the most elite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There is only one first sergeant in a company,” Lee said. “Depending on the company, there may be many master sergeants. There is only one sergeant major in the unit. There may be several master guns.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes the first sergeant-sergeant major route seem more prestigious to many young Marines, Lee said, although that may not reflect reality. But there is no denying that because first sergeants and sergeants major play a hands-on leadership role, they are held in special regard by junior Marines \u2014 even revered and feared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Those first sergeants and sergeants major could really raise the hair on your neck just by entering the room,” Soha said of his perception of senior enlisted leaders when he was a junior Marine. “The master guns you went to for a technical issue.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both are mentors, but the first sergeant and sergeant major work closely with commanding officers and are seen as part of institutional leadership. Master sergeants and master gunnery sergeants, on the other hand, are often seen as another member of the rank-and-file \u2014 albeit a senior one who is extraordinarily accomplished and deserves respect accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past few years, however, master sergeants and master guns have seen a bump in their public profile, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent brought them into the fold by overhauling the annual Sergeant’s Major symposium in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kent, who served until June 2011, began including not just sergeants major but master guns at the annual gathering where senior enlisted Marines discuss the most important topics facing the enlisted Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That, Soha said, did a lot to “add credibility” to his community and raise its visibility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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