Have to get this off my chest, because I see Sam called Major a lot.
Pararescueman (Sometimes called Parajumpers or PJs) in the USAF, which we’re told Sam was, is an enlisted position. Sam Wilson was a non-commissioned officer – I’m gonna guess he was at least a Sergeant and given the level of specialised training, probably a Staff Sergeant.
Pararescuemen have officers – they are called Combat Rescue Officers. They have most of the same training (though not all in as much detail) plus officer/strategic training. The idea is that the PJs are the detail guys (concentrating on individual casualties) the CRO keeps a wider, coordinating view, so doesn’t (or at least tries not to) get tied down with his hands stuck in somebody’s guts. I don’t think it is very likely a CRO would be strapping on a wingsuit, but in any case if Sam says he was Pararescue that means by definition that he was an NCO.
(Why does this bother me? Because while I think for most writers it’s a well-meant ‘well he was brave and important, must have been an officer’ that’s ignoring the many highly trained and skilled people who can be found among the NCOs. Making Sam an officer may feel like valueing him up, but it’s also kind of valueing NCOs down)
Yes, this. As a general thing in Hollywood, really, which is probably where a lot of fandom people gets their cues — all military peeps of importance and/or intelligence must be commissioned officers.
It’s overly simplistic to say “he’s a leader, ergo he’s an officer” or “he’s got a college degree, he’s got to be an officer.” You can be a great leader and hold a BA (or Ph.D) while also wearing an NCO’s sword.
Officers, NCOs, and junior enlisteds all have different functions in a military system. NCOs are the glue, the sine qua non of any military — and if you want to know why some RL militaries have trouble being competent, it’s generally because they have no tradition of NCOs. NCOs are the repositories of institutional wisdom and the ones who have learned from experience and the ones who are not only supposed to teach the junior enlisteds what to do, they’re also supposed to provide guidance for officers as well. They are the ones who know how to get shit done while the officers make Powerpoint slides. *g*
(And for the record, I’ve been writing Sam Wilson as a Technical Sergeant, E-6.)
This. Also, Bucky Barnes, platoon sergeant. I have some serious headcanon about that. Dunno what, if any of it, would have survived being the Winter Soldier but Bucky as one of the senior NCOs of the Howling Commandos would have gotten shit done in ways that Steve would have not had a clue about for the first few months.
See also: Band of Brothers, Bastogne ep.
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