About the Marine slang term "Gunny"...?

Question

I know it is the term for a Marine E-7 NCO, but WHO uses it? Is it a term used by the enlisted as a title (Yes SIr, Gunny!) or is it a term only the Officers are allowed to use in reference (Gunny! Get so-and-so in my office! NOW!)????
I'm trying to write a story in which two former Marines, one's a former Sergeant of the Sniper/Scouts of Recon, and the other is his former commanding NCO, a "Gunny", are great friends, out of active/Reserve service with the Corps., but still have the "Gunny" and "Sarge" thing going...
Help?
I knew a couple of Marines a while back, but one is now a Medal of Honor resident of Arlington Cemetary, and the other is paralyzed and can't talk thanks to a insurgent's bullet in the vocal chords. I wanna get the details right so I can make these guys proud.

Answer 1

Gunny is usually an accepted term by either enlisted or officers. It's an old tradition, and I never met a gunny who refused to be called that by his subordinates or his superiors.

A term for Master Sgts (E-8) and Master Gunnery Sgts (E-9) was "top" (i.e., Top Smith, Top Jones, etc). I've also heard the term "Top Gunny" for the latter.

FYI, I never, ever, EVER heard a sgt (E-5) referred to as "Sarge". In the USMC, this is widely considered to be disrespectful and unacceptable.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

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RE:
About the Marine slang term "Gunny"...?
I know it is the term for a Marine E-7 NCO, but WHO uses it? Is it a term used by the enlisted as a title (Yes SIr, Gunny!) or is it a term only the Officers are allowed to use in reference (Gunny! Get so-and-so in my office! NOW!)????
I'm trying to write a story in which two former Marines,...

Answer 3

The term "Gunny" is slang for Gunnery Sergeant, an E-7. It is widely used throughout the Marine Corps. However, most Gunnery Sergeants get upset if you are lower ranked and call them "Gunny" if you don't work with them or know them well. For enlisted Marines higher than Gunnery Sergeant, and close friends who are also the rank of Gunny, simply "Guns" is also sometimes used, but rarely, if at all in front of junior ranks. It is also impolite to refer to one as Gunny when he/she is chewing your a** and will get you in more problems than you already had to begin with. As a Sergeant of Marines, I would take it as a personal insult to EVER be called a "sarge" and would put my foot up anyones a** that called me that. Also, in your book, if you include other ranks such as Staff Sergeant, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, etc., always spell it out with their full rank and not shorten it to just Sergeant like the army and air force. That is also taken as an insult in the Marines.

Answer 4

Gunny Sergeant

Answer 5

Marine Slang

Answer 6

Okay, first of all a Marine would NEVER call a Sergeant "Sarge". As for Gunny it refers to a gunnery sergeant. My personal rule was if I worked closely with a gunnery sergeant it was permitted to call him/her "gunny", however if it was someone I had never met and was conducting business with i would call him/her gunnery sergeant. That's my personal ethics. There are Marines though who will call anyone the rank of gunnery sergeant "gunny," which to answer your question, is permissable for both all enlisted and all officer ranks to use. As for the answer above, a master sgt IS usually called "top" but a master gunnery sergeant is usually referred to as "master guns"

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Just my two cents worth... When I first called a Sgt. "Sarge" I had a little *ahem* corrective training to complete. Moral. DONT do it ever. (shoot that was a wasted weekend)

Answer 9

It's good

Answer 10

why are all the answers so dull and short these days?