Gunnery Sergeant insignia
Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) is the seventh enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is a staff non-commissioned officer (SNCO). It has a pay grade of E-7.
A Gunnery Sergeant in the infantry is typically in charge of coordinating logistics for a company-sized group of Marines, or about 180 personnel. Junior Gunnery Sergeants usually serve as platoon sergeant for weapons platoons. A U.S. Army Sergeant First Class shares the same pay grade as a Gunnery Sergeant, but not the same responsibilities. A Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant's job is to be the operations chief of a company of Marines.
Gunnery Sergeants are commonly referred to by the informal abbreviation "gunny". This nickname is usually regarded as a title of esteem and/or camaraderie, and is generally acceptable for use in all situations except formal and ceremonial ones. Use of the term by lower-ranking personnel, however, remains at the Gunnery Sergeant's discretion.
[edit] Notable Gunnery Sergeants
[edit] Fictional Gunnery Sergeants
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs on the television series NCIS (portrayed by Mark Harmon)
- Victor Galindez on the television series JAG (portrayed by Randy Vasquez)
- Thomas Highway in the film Heartbreak Ridge (played by Clint Eastwood)
- Bob Lee Swagger, created by author Stephen Hunter and portrayed in the 2007 movie Shooter by Mark Wahlberg
- Miles Arthur Rutherford in the The Council Wars book series written by John Ringo
- Senior Drill Instructor GySgt Hartman in the film Full Metal Jacket played by GySgt R. Lee Ermey[1]
- Senior Drill Instructor GySgt Gerheim (on whom the character of Hartman was based) in the book The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford
- Alva "Gunny" Bricker on the television series Major Dad (portrayed by Beverly Archer)
- GySgt Emil Foley in the film An Officer and a Gentleman (played by Louis Gossett, Jr., the role for which he won an Academy Award).
- Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams, a character from the role-playing game Mass Effect.
- Vince Carter played by Frank Sutton on Gomer Pyle USMC
- Jim Moore (referred to in the opening credits as "Technical Sergeant") played by Jack Webb in the movie The D.I.
- Gunnery Sergeant Al Apone in 1980s sci-fi classic film Aliens, played by Al Matthews.
- Gunnery Sergeant Erin Mathias, a character in the rebooted Battlestar Galactica, played by Eileen Pedde.
- Lawton "Gunny" in the game Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is a Gunnery Sergeant.
- Pete Stacker, a UNSC Marine Infantryman in the Halo series
- Gena "Mother" Newman, in the books Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow and Hell Island
- Scott "Snake" Kaplan, in the book Ice Station
- Amos Skillings, in the books Mission Compromised, The Jericho Sanction, and The Assassins by Oliver North and Joe Musser.
- Leatherneck, a Marine in the G.I. Joe ARAH toyline, comics and cartoon.
- Sgt. Slaughter, a Marine Drill Instructor in the G.I. Joe ARAH toyline, comics and cartoon.
- Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr in the "Confederation of Valor" series of books
- Frank Minoso in the game "Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault" is a Gunnery Sergeant
- Edward Buck, a UNSC Marine Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in the Halo series (voiced by Nathan Fillion)
[edit] See also