[1] Staff Sergeant Affiliation UNSC Marine Corps Higher Rank Gunnery Sergeant Lower Rank Sergeant Command 9-11 Marines Known Staff Sergeants Marcus Banks Avery Junior Johnson Marvin Mobuto Nolan Byrne K. Stark Marcus P. Stacker

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Staff Sergeant is the sixth enlisted rank of the UNSC Marine Corps and the UNSC Army (E-6), and the fifth enlisted rank in the UNSC Air Force (E-5). It is a staff non-commissioned officer rank. The rank insignia is represented by three gold "chevrons" over one "rocker" in the Army, three red chevrons and one rocker with crossed rifles in the middle field for the Marines, and four white rockers for the Air Force.^[2]

Army and Marine Staff Sergeants are equal to a Technical Sergeant in the Air Force or a Petty Officer First Class in the Navy. Air Force SSgts are equal to a Sergeant in the Army and Marines, and a Petty Officer Second Class in the Navy.

Staff Sergeants typically command squads of 9 - 11 Army Infantry and serve as Platoon Sergeants in the Marines, which are the second in command of the platoon. Avery Johnson and Nolan Byrne were platoon leaders on Harvest, and were tasked with training a Colonial Militia, with each responsible for a platoon-sized group of men. Although a bit different from the other services, it is the Air Force's first non-commissioned officer rank as well as the first rank to which promotion is on a competitive basis.

TriviaEdit

• Compared to other services, the rank of SSgt. in the Air Force is relatively low despite being a position given to flight sergeants.
• The most notable Staff Sergeant was Avery Johnson, who first saw action against the Covenant Empire at Harvest. He died when during the Battle of Installation 00

SourcesEdit

1. ↑ Halo 3: ODST Screenshot of the Rookie - Upper left chest plate has clear sign of one chevron and two crossed rifles of a United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal. It is assumed that the UNSC uses the same insignia for its Marines.
2. ↑ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 47