Marine Gunner

An infantry weapons officer of the US Marine Corps, a warrant officer appointment from CWO2 to CWO5, WO-2 to WO-5.

Overview

The Marine Gunner is an infantry weapons specialist appointed as a warrant officer and addressed simply as Gunner, the only Marine officer so addressed by title alone. The Gunner wears a bursting bomb device in place of warrant bars on the collar. The position was created in 1917 to retain expert gunnery knowledge that the officer corps was losing. Gunners advise commanders on infantry weapons employment, marksmanship, and training, serving in infantry battalions and at training commands from CWO2 through CWO5. The appointment is deliberately narrow and prestigious, the technical soul of Marine infantry.