What came first the officer or the enlisted?

PO3 Aaron Hassay — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:07:27 -0400

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 17 at 2021 12:32 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:32:06 -0400

https://www.worldwidehistory.org/ancient-roman-military-ranks.html Just the Roman Army Ranks. I am sure the Greeks, Persians and other earlier Empires had their Officers. I am sure China predates them all.

War History: Ancient Roman Military Ranks

NOTE: All rankings presented are indicative of the cohortal legion, which was in use by the early first century BC and contained 5,000 to 6,000 men divided into ten cohorts, hence the name. Each...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 17 at 2021 12:51 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:51:12 -0400

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 17 at 2021 12:58 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 00:58:00 -0400

The NCO!

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 17 at 2021 1:02 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 01:02:14 -0400

CW04 Michael Doyle enlightened me on this topic. Before WWII, the majority of Marine Corps officer came from enlisted ranks. There's an interesting history there that can show the development of that branch and how its roots influence modern times.

But as far as the overall U.S. military, I feel you really can't draw two different starting points. American military organizations began with the concept of both.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Apr 17 at 2021 4:21 AM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 04:21:31 -0400

To cut too the chase, without the enlisted soldiers. The officers would be there own privates

Response by SSG Samuel Kermon made Apr 17 at 2021 7:45 AM

SSG Samuel Kermon — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 07:45:54 -0400

Maybe not officers but leaders always come first.

Response by SGT Matthew S. made Apr 17 at 2021 10:22 AM

SGT Matthew S. — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 10:22:18 -0400

Don't know if it would qualify as the officer exactly, but there always has to be some sort of a leader figure to rally people or for people to rally around. Without some sort of guiding direction, no matter how small, everything is just degrees of chaos.

Overall, though, I'd say the enlisted. You need the people first and then a leader steps forth from them.

Response by Wayne Soares made Apr 17 at 2021 10:45 AM

Wayne Soares — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 10:45:44 -0400

Good question Aaron

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Apr 17 at 2021 12:45 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 12:45:14 -0400

I believe that as long as man has fought in numbers there has always been the leader and the led (Officer and Enlisted).

Response by SPC Robert Hendrickson made Apr 17 at 2021 11:25 PM

SPC Robert Hendrickson — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 23:25:55 -0400

i would say the officers came first .. then the workers later ,, just like God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit ,, the officers ,, then He created Adam and Eve .. the enlisted per-se

Response by Lt Col Timothy Cassidy-Curtis made Apr 17 at 2021 11:51 PM

Lt Col Timothy Cassidy-Curtis — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 23:51:42 -0400

Oddly enough, they both came at the same time. (Okay, you guyz, stop it with the dirty minds!) It is historically recorded that the top-ranking member of a military unit was called the "Sergeant Major General." This was used up to the 17th Century (English Army). After a while, the term "Sergeant Major was separated from "Major General."

Generally speaking, in any Army, there's the person in charge, and there are the people who followed that person. Gradually, the person in charge was considered an officer, and the people who followed that person were enlisted. Historically, being a commissioned officer meant that your authority came from the Head of State (the Monarchy, in most historical terms). The commissioned officer then had the authority to bring others into the army, that is, they "raised a force," or "enlist" others, who would then be "enlisted." In past days (up to the nineteenth century) a commissioned officer used his own money to pay for his troops, then hoped that the national authority (i.e., the King, etc.) would pay for that force to be used, thus the commissioned officer would get his money back, and be able to continue to pay for his troops. Thus, again, the answer is "both, at the same time."

Response by CPT Christopher Stanco made Apr 18 at 2021 7:15 AM

CPT Christopher Stanco — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 07:15:02 -0400

The politician