{"id":35674,"date":"2026-01-05T21:36:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T21:09:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T21:09:30","slug":"marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve member is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant this month as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker was selected from applicants to be the first to benefit from the pilot program, according to a late December <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/news\/555460\/master-sergeant-first-sergeant-master-sgt-joseph-b-stoker-paves-way-future-leadership-marine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/news\/555460\/master-sergeant-first-sergeant-master-sgt-joseph-b-stoker-paves-way-future-leadership-marine\">DVIDS memo<\/a>. The aim of the program is to grant new leadership opportunities to experienced Marines and give them greater control over their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI came into the Marine Corps from a place of uncertainty, but it gave me a chance to build a life and purpose I never thought possible,\u201d Stoker said in the memo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs I transition to First Sergeant, I\u2019m determined to give back, leading Marines with the same integrity and dedication that was shown to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pilot program, established through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marines.mil\/News\/Messages\/Messages-Display\/Article\/4253586\/fiscal-year-2026-fy26-usmc-e8-redesignation-application-pilot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marines.mil\/News\/Messages\/Messages-Display\/Article\/4253586\/fiscal-year-2026-fy26-usmc-e8-redesignation-application-pilot\/\">Marine administrative message<\/a>, allows qualified master sergeants to apply for the first sergeant military occupational specialty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe E-8 redesignation program was designed to ensure that experienced leaders like Stoker could apply their skills to meet the evolving needs of the Marine Corps,\u201d the memo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As first sergeant, Stoker continues his leadership role in his unit but his new rank requires him to take a broader focus on the overall health and success of the unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stoker is based in New Orleans and has 17 years of service in the Marines, according to the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has served in numerous roles such as drill instructor, senior enlisted adviser and wing aircraft maintenance\/material readiness chief with 4th Marine Aircraft Wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMaster Sgt. Stoker was a first sergeant in all but rank. The chevron wasn\u2019t a promotion, but a confirmation of the leader he has always been,\u201d Sgt. Maj. Edwin A. Mota, command senior enlisted leader of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, said in the memo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the pilot program, Marines were solely formally selected by a board process to the rank of either first or master sergeant after serving as an E-7, with a gunnery sergeant rank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker  is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":70780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,12,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3417],"class_list":["post-35674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7RG6L5MCNJCVNCXKA54YDDYOSI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cristina Stassis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cristina Stassis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 359,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/05\\\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Marine Corps\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-marine-corps\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program - Marine Corps Times","description":"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program","og_description":"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00","author":"Cristina Stassis","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cristina Stassis","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program","datePublished":"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/"},"wordCount":359,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/","name":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-05T21:36:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T21:09:30+00:00","description":"Master Sgt. Joseph B. Stoker is the first to change rank from master sergeant to first sergeant as part of the new E-8 pilot redesignation initiative.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2026\/01\/05\/marine-master-sergeant-redesignated-to-first-sergeant-in-pilot-program\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your Marine Corps","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/","ad_zone":"your-marine-corps"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Marine master sergeant redesignated to first sergeant in pilot program"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95.webp_-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35681,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35674\/revisions\/35681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35674"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}