US Marine Corps Rank Abbreviations
25 abbreviations · part of Military Abbreviations
Rank abbreviations of the US Marine Corps, written in mixed case without spaces or periods (LCpl, GySgt, 1stSgt, LtCol, BGen), a style that differs from both the Army's all-capital forms and the Air Force's spaced forms. Marine enlisted ranks diverge from the Army at several grades: a Marine PFC is an E-2, a lance corporal fills E-3, and at E-8 and E-9 Marines follow either a command track (first sergeant, sergeant major) or a technical track (master sergeant, master gunnery sergeant).
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1stLt | First Lieutenant (US Marine Corps) | Marine Corps officer rank at pay grade O-2, a single silver bar. |
| 1stSgt | First Sergeant (US Marine Corps) | Command-track E-8 rank in the Marine Corps, three chevrons and three rockers with a diamond. |
| 2ndLt | Second Lieutenant (US Marine Corps) | Entry officer rank in the Marine Corps, pay grade O-1, marked by a gold bar. |
| ACMC | Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps | Second-highest officer of the Marine Corps, a four-star general who serves as the Commandant's deputy and runs much of the service's day-to-day business, including… |
| BGen | Brigadier General (US Marine Corps) | One-star Marine general, pay grade O-7. |
| CAPT | Captain (US Navy and Coast Guard) | Senior officer rank at pay grade O-6 in the Navy and Coast Guard, insignia a silver eagle or four gold sleeve stripes. |
| CMC | Commandant of the Marine Corps | Highest-ranking officer of the US Marine Corps, a four-star general responsible to the secretary of the Navy for organizing, training and equipping the Corps, and a… |
| COL | Colonel (US Army) | Senior field-grade Army officer, pay grade O-6, whose insignia is a silver eagle. |
| Cpl | Corporal (US Marine Corps) | First Marine Corps noncommissioned officer grade, pay grade E-4, two chevrons above crossed rifles. |
| GEN | General (US Army) | Highest active Army rank, pay grade O-10, worn as four silver stars. |
| GySgt | Gunnery Sergeant | Senior staff NCO grade at E-7, unique to the Marine Corps, worn as three chevrons and two rockers around crossed rifles. |
| LCpl | Lance Corporal (US Marine Corps) | Pay grade E-3 in the Marine Corps, shown by one chevron above crossed rifles. |
| LtCol | Lieutenant Colonel (US Marine Corps) | Marine Corps officer rank at pay grade O-5, shown by a silver oak leaf. |
| LtGen | Lieutenant General (US Marine Corps) | Three-star Marine general, pay grade O-9, commanding Marine expeditionary forces and Marine Forces components of combatant commands, and serving as deputy commandants… |
| MAJ | Major (US Army) | First field-grade officer rank in the Army, pay grade O-4, marked by a gold oak leaf. |
| MajGen | Major General (US Marine Corps) | Two-star Marine general, pay grade O-8, typically commanding a Marine division, a Marine aircraft wing, a logistics group or a major training command such as Marine… |
| MGySgt | Master Gunnery Sergeant | Marine Corps enlisted rank at pay grade E-9 on the technical track, insignia three chevrons and four rockers with a bursting bomb in the center. |
| MSgt | Master Sergeant (US Air Force and Space Force) | First senior NCO grade in the Air Force and Space Force, pay grade E-7, insignia five chevrons below the star with one chevron above. |
| PFC | Private First Class (US Army) | Army enlisted rank at pay grade E-3, worn as one chevron above one rocker. |
| PVT | Private (US Army) | Lowest enlisted rank in the US Army, pay grade E-1, held by new recruits during and shortly after basic combat training. |
| SGT | Sergeant (US Army) | First of the Army's sergeant grades, pay grade E-5, worn as three chevrons. |
| SgtMaj | Sergeant Major (US Marine Corps) | Marine Corps enlisted rank at pay grade E-9 on the command track, three chevrons and four rockers with a star. |
| SMMC | Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps | Senior enlisted Marine, serving as the Commandant's principal adviser on enlisted matters. |
| SSgt | Staff Sergeant (US Air Force) | First noncommissioned officer grade in the Air Force, pay grade E-5, worn as four chevrons around a star. |
| WO | Warrant Officer (US Marine Corps) | Marine Corps warrant rank at pay grade W-1, held by technical specialists selected from experienced enlisted Marines and appointed by warrant. |
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