The Role of the Gunnery Sergeant

November 29, 2009 posted by admin

gunnery sgtThe Gunnery Sergeant of the US Marine Corps is quite different from the gunnery sergeant of the US Army. The only time that I ever heard this term used in the Army was in Field Artillery units. The Field Artillery Gunnery Sergeant was responsible for insuring that the guns were laid correctly and safely. Laying the guns was the process of getting the tubes parallel so that they would all fire in the exact same direction.

As all of my USMC ring customers are fully aware, The USMC gunnery sergeant is responsible for the logistics, resupply, etc. of about 180 marines. The Marine Company will also have junior gunnery sergeants who are assigned to the weapons platoons.

The term “Gunny” is the nickname given to the gunnery sergeant. Its use is subject to the discretion of the gunnery sergeant but I don’t think that there are many gunnery sergeants who would object to being known as gunny. 


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