The history of military ranks is a well researched subject and I will not repeat what so many have written more eloquently in the past, except to add a few points of interest.
The term ‘Major’ appears in many armies around the world, sometimes referred to as ‘commandant.’ As in so many things, with the change in technology over time armies have had to realign themselves for better command and control. The nature of the entire hierarchy changed somewhere in the 16th or 17th century. Certain European regiments found it useful to split into battalions with a Lieutenant Colonel as the commanding officer and the newly identified rank of ‘Major’ as the executive officer.
Historically, I think we can trace back the position of ‘Major’ much farther and at least to the time of ancient Sparta. In Sparta, a Major was called a “Tagmataches” which remains very close to the term for a Major in the modern Greek Army ( ‘Tagmatarchis’). In the army of SPQR, the Roman rank for the function of Major was called ‘Legatus.” Today, a Major remains more of a staff function than a line or operational position.
I am aware that my daughter Kristin has worked hard to be considered for this honor. So, I won’t go into all of the details of what I believe to be an exemplary career to date as it sounds too much like a father’s pride, and yet, I will say that her grandfathers would also have been very proud. I still can hear my father state proudly that his alma mater ( the Citadel) had more battle ribbons than Kristin’s (West Point), but he would add that ‘we are all on the same team, now.’ It is sad that they will not be here to see Kristin get ‘pinned’ this summer, but in spirit maybe, they will be smiling down on her.
On the practical side, although I have certainly seen enough Majors and Colonels make coffee runs for their commanding Generals, becoming a Major is certainly a significant achievement and a step in the learning process. As they say, one must learn to follow before one can lead.
Now, Kristin, work on your coffee skills! 😉
Dad
