This post reflects how long I've been away from active & reserve duty

[Fog]

That said, I just saw a Marine major on TV talking to a FoxNews reporter - he must have had 6 rows of ribbons & been continuously in Iraq & Afghanistan the past 8 years or so. God bless him. My question is that he had scrambled eggs on his dress cover. How long have majors been a field-grade rank in the USMC? I don't remember that through my retirement year of 1992. Just another Q from the old & clueless. Thanks in advance.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Always has been for Army, Air Force and Marines.
O-1 to O-3: company grade
O-4 to O-6: field grade
O-7 to O-10: general officers

Navy & Coast Guard:
O-1 to O-4: junior officers (yes a hinge is really a JO)
O-5 & O-6: mid-grade / senior officers
O-7 to O-10: flag officers

 

[KBayDog]

Navy & Coast Guard:
O-1 to O-4: junior officers (yes a hinge is really a JO)

Hmm...am I in the mood for Orville Redenbacher, Jiffy Pop, or Pop Secret this morning?

 

[HAL Pilot]

Maybe like Fog I've been out too long.

The running joke when I was a DH was that if you looked at the Navy Regs, O-4s were actually JOs and the break was where I posted earlier. So the CO/XO would call us just another JO while the JOs would say we were senior officers. My next job at Southcom, the Army assholes (85% Army in my day) running the place always tried to fuck us on TADs by claiming the field grade accommodations didn't apply to us as Navy O-4s so they put us in lesser quarters to save money. They had a copies of the regs delineating the breakdown for the Navy as O-1 to O-4 and the JTRs saying Company/JO versus Field/Senior. Luckily the Deputy was a Navy 3-star and he said all people of the same rank get the same treatment.

So I just did a search and ended up on a defense site saying its O-1 to O-3 and O-4 to O-6 for all services. It also calls Navy O-4 to O-6 Mid-Grade instead of Senior.

Who gives a rat's ass anyway......I move left and I get a bigger paycheck and scrambled eggs......I stay right and I get a better schedule.....

 

[squorch2]

I've heard O-4 to O-6 referred to as Control Grade recently as well.

 

[Fog]

Thanks, dudes. Getting old sucks. My only excuse is jointness wasn't as big a deal back in the day, but I was around Marines alot.

 

[phrogdriver]

I think major has been "field grade" in most Western ground forces for a long time. At least when I pinned on, the CO gave a little speech about how the field-grade division started in Napoleon's armies, because even then captains led companies, while majors served with the field commanders.

The Navy LCDR JO thing has always mystified me. So apparently you're no longer one of the boys, but still not allowed to sit at the grown-ups table? C'mon....

 

[Jim123]

The Navy LCDR JO thing has always mystified me. So apparently you're no longer one of the boys, but still not allowed to sit at the grown-ups table? C'mon....

Nawww, it just gives us an excuse to put off buying a new cover

 

[nittany03]

I've heard O-4 to O-6 referred to as Control Grade recently as well.

I think that's a BUPERS-ism.

 

[A4sForever]

Nawww, it just gives us an excuse to put off buying a new cover ...

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh ... there's nothing like putting on those scrambled eggs for the first time -- looking in the mirror -- and saying: 'who in the hell is THAT STUD ???'

The 'urge' to salute yourself is almost uncontrollable ...

 

[HuggyU2]

The "dress cover".
Yet another "cultural" difference between the Services,at least from my view as a non-flag officer.
Whereas you'll see dress cover/"wheel cap" in the Navy and Marines, you won't see it near as much in the USAF, as it is not a popular choice.
I suppose we like wearing that cover about as much as the Navy likes wearing an ascot. :icon_wink

 

[SynixMan]

The "dress cover".
Yet another "cultural" difference between the Services,at least from my view as a non-flag officer.
Whereas you'll see dress cover/"wheel cap" in the Navy and Marines, you won't see it near as much in the USAF, as it is not a popular choice.
I suppose we like wearing that cover about as much as the Navy likes wearing an ascot. :icon_wink

Dress cover? You mean the combination cover? The combo cover is required with Dress Blues/Whites (in white form). Looks sharp, as Blues/Whites look sharp. No self respecting aviator wears it in khaki form. Flight suits and Khakis are worn with the piss cutter/garrison cover. Dip optional, but again, sharp looking.

 

[C420sailor]

The "dress cover".
Yet another "cultural" difference between the Services,at least from my view as a non-flag officer.
Whereas you'll see dress cover/"wheel cap" in the Navy and Marines, you won't see it near as much in the USAF, as it is not a popular choice.
I suppose we like wearing that cover about as much as the Navy likes wearing an ascot. :icon_wink

The difference is that chicks go crazy over the Navy combination cover. The ascot...not so much

 

[phrogpilot73]

For the USMC, the combination cover is a required item for Dress Blues. With Service Uniforms, it's optional/prescribed by the commander. You won't see that one worn much...