Re: Force sizes-Confusing US ranks

Ryan Gill wrote:
> 
> Throw British ranks in and it gets really complex.
> 
> Some ranks in the army are lance corporal, others are Fusilier,
> others are Trooper, and still others are private or corporal....all
> around the same rank area. Much is due to the long tradition and
> history.

It isn't that complex. 

Most regiments and corps have a descriptive term meaning
"private", so that in a regiment of fusiliers, the private
soldiers are called... Fusiliers. Gunners are Artillery privates,
Signalmen from the Royal Corps of Signals, Engineers are Royal
Engineers, Troopers are cavalry, Guardsmen from Guards regiments.

There are much fewer oddities above private. One of the cavalry
regiments calls "sergeants" Corporals-of-Horse and has
Corporal-Majors. The Royal Artillery calls "corporals"
Bombardiers. Sergeant might be spelled with a J. I'd expect to
find a few more.

There's some misalignment between US and UK junior NCOs, so that a
US Army sergeant is, I think, a UK corporal.

--