History
The rank was derived from another rank unique to the United States Marine Corps, the Gunnery Sergeant, and has been in use (though not continuously) since the time of the Spanish-American War (April 25 – August 12, 1898).
Establishment of the rank in its current form and paygrade occurred during sweeping reorganization of ranks and paygrades in 1958 and 1959. The rank was included, along with the rank of Master Sergeant, in a new program for the paygrades of E-8 and E-9 which allowed senior SNCO billets to be filled by occupational specialists. This move was designed to officially acknowledge the ever-increasing complexity of modern warfare, while still maintaining the First Sergeant and Sergeant Major programs, with their historic command prestige. During and prior to World War II, this was reversed; the Sergeant Major was an administrative position while the Master Gunnery Sergeant was part of the S-3 section and enforced discipline.
Read more about this topic: Master Gunnery Sergeant
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