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Marine Corps First LieutenantO-2 Commissioned Officer, U.S. Marine Corps |
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Marine Corps Ranks » First Lieutenant Rank • 1stLt Pay • 1stLt Rank History
History of the Marine Corps First Lieutenant Rank
A First Lieutenant is a Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade O-2.
The title "Lieutenant" is synonymous with being second-in-command. The roots of the word are "lieu" (in lieu of) and "tenant". With ground troops, this implies being second-in-command of a 80-250 person Company. 1stLts are first to take over, and 2ndLts are second.
Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' First Lieutenant rank on Military-Ranks.org.
History of the Marine Corps
As far back as the Revolutionary War, Marines were known as Naval Infantry, and were assigned to ships to repel boarders, assault land-based targets, and discipline unruly Sailors. In WWI and WWII, Marines very successfully augmented Army units in war theaters throughout the world, with their most brutal and historic fighting on islands in the Pacific. In contrast with the Army, the Marines were not originally made to be self-sufficient to fight land wars for long periods of time. Doctors, Chaplains, and Medics who deploy with Marines are all Navy Sailors.