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Marine Corps Private

E-1 Junior Enlisted, U.S. Marine Corps
(Next) E-2 PFCMarine Corps Private First Class
Private First Class

Marine Corps Ranks » Private RankPvt PayPvt Rank HistoryPromotion Information

How to get promoted to Private History of the Marine Corps Private Rank

A Private is a Junior Enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade E-1.

"Private" comes from the medieval "Private Soldier" who either volunteered or was conscripted to go to war, lead by a feudal lord or nobleman. The rank has been in use by the US Army and Marines since their inception.

Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' Private 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 In contrast with the Army, the Marines were not originally made to be self-sufficient to fight land wars for long periods of time.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.