How good was the position of Sgt. Major in WW2?

Question

Does anyone have a list of the military postions (from private up I suppose) from WW2? My grandfather served in the Pacific as a white house correspondent and fought as a Sgt. Major, I was just wondering how notable that position would be.

Also, does anyone know how many Sgt. Majors there were?

Thanks

Thanks for the great answers already guys, he did not serve with the marines. I know he spent some time as a tail gunner (he is a pretty small guy) and had to fight against zeros which were almost twice as fast as the US planes (I am embarrassed to say I have no idea what these planes were). I am not really sure what non comissioned means vs. comissioned. Also, he did attend some college but had to drop out to support his family.

One last time, he was pretty old when he enlisted (he was born in 1909, so maybe this helped him achieve a higher position, is this possible?)

Thanks again

Answer 1

not sure how many Sgt. Majors there were in WWII but it was and still in the highest ranking noncom position in the military so I'd say it was a good position with lots of responsibilities.

Please convey my gratitude to your grandfather for his service to our country.

Answer 2

So how did your Grandfather manage to be a 32 year old White House Correspondent? (what ever that is), with the rank of Sergeant-Major and be a tail Gunner as well??

Your story does not add up "Correspondent" is a civilian job even when attached to the military they did not fight.

Not sure what a "White House" correspondent would be except for a guy reporting from the "White House" as a newspaper reporter for a specific newspaper.
To have a rank equivalent to a Sgt-Major would mean at least 20 years service and according to your born in 1909 date he would have been 32, any you say he was also a tail gunner none of whom carried high rank. And his old age would have nothing to do with the postion he was in.

Your question creates more questions than answers.

Answer 3

Lot of questions....
1. How good? About as good as it gets in the military. Very senior enlisted.
2. Some one has already, however they have been some changes from WW2 to todays USA.
3. Now here's where I get confused. War correspondents were civilian media inbeded with US forces. Not given any rank. The military did have it own Combat Cameramen ( the guys shoot all the news reel stuff And B-17 over Germany film & stills) Some were actually Hollywood film business type like John Ford & Frank Capra.

As for numbers? Very few make Sgt. Major. I think there is a Assocation of Sgt.Majors that can give you that detail.

Answer 4

During WW ll , there was no military rank of SGT Major.

The E-9 rank ( Sgt. Major )wasn't started untill the 1960's

But all units of Battalion level or higher had a position of Sgt. Major filled by the senior enlisted soldier.

The position of Sgt. Major served as the senior enlisted advisor to the unit commander.

They were another set of eyes and ears,

And served as the link between the commander and the soldiers on policy matters.

Pretty much what Sgt. Majors still do in the military today.

As to how many served as Sgt Majors, that would be in the thousands.

Answer 5

Ranks in the army have not changed much since WW II. The rank of Sgt. Major is the highest enlisted rank one can acheive. If he was a Sgt. Major, he would have been on top of the enlisted food chain. As an NCO or non commissioned officer, he would typically oversee an entire regiment or battallion of troups and typically or directly report to someone with rank of major or higher.

Here are the ranks listed in order of lowest to highest:

Private - E1
Private - E2
Private 1st Class
Corporal
Sgt.
Staff Sgt.
Sgt. 1st Class
Master Sgt.
1st. Sgt
Sgt. Major

He must have been in the service for quite some time. To acheive the rank of Sgt Major takes many years. Also, NCO's typically were officers that had not graduated college or did not attend a military school at time of rank. To become a Sgt. a person had attend to NCO school of some sort before they were promoted.

Hope that helps. I was a Specialist when or E-4 when I left the service in 2001. Same as a Sgt. I just did not go to school to become a NCO.

My deepest congratulations to you and your family to have served our country. I am a 5th generation soldier myself and both my grandparents served in WW II. Your grandfather is a true American hero.

Answer 6

Your grandfather was and is a hero, regardless of what rank. All the men who fought in the "Great War" and served their country with their lives are great men.
Sorry this doesn't answer your question, but a Sgt. Major is quite a position. I guess it's up there.
Did he serve with the Marines?

Answer 7

There is a list of military ranks here:
http://www.easternct.edu/personal/faculty/pocock/ranks.htm

As you can see, Sergeant-Major is the highest rank of non-commissioned officer.