What is an E8 in the Marines?

What is an E8 in the Marines?

• A. Captain
• B. Sergeant
• C. Every 2 years
• D. Major

Answer: (C)

In the Marines, E-8 is an enlisted pay grade, not a rank name or a time interval. It covers two ranks: Master Sergeant and First Sergeant. This pay grade sits above Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) and below the E-9 level of Master Gunnery Sergeant or Sergeant Major. So the idea behind E-8 is about where you sit in the enlisted pay scale and the leadership positions those ranks hold, not about a timeframe. Officers like Captain and Major are not E-8; they are officer ranks. Sergeant is an enlisted rank but at a lower pay grade (E-5). The notion of “every 2 years” doesn’t describe what E-8 means.

In the Marines, E-8 is an enlisted pay grade, not a rank name or a time interval. It covers two ranks: Master Sergeant and First Sergeant. This pay grade sits above Gunnery Sergeant (E-7) and below the E-9 level of Master Gunnery Sergeant or Sergeant Major.

So the idea behind E-8 is about where you sit in the enlisted pay scale and the leadership positions those ranks hold, not about a timeframe. Officers like Captain and Major are not E-8; they are officer ranks. Sergeant is an enlisted rank but at a lower pay grade (E-5). The notion of “every 2 years” doesn’t describe what E-8 means.