Presentation of an officer with a new rank. Officer traditions are unshakable
We don't need ranks and honors
We have stars on our shoulders.
V Ancient Rus military ranks was not, and the commanders were named according to the number of soldiers in their subordination - foreman, centurion, temnik (thousan). Let's find out when and how sergeants, majors, captains and generalissimos appeared in the Russian and other armies.
1. Sergeant
The word “sergeant” came into Russian from French (sergent), and into French from Latin (serviens) and is translated as “employee”.
The first sergeants appeared in the 11th century in England. Only then was it not the military that was called that, but the landowners who carried out various assignments for the king. In the 12th century, sergeants in England were also called police officers.
As a military rank, "sergeant" appeared only in the 15th century, in the French army. After that, it passed to the German and English armies, and in the 17th century to the Russian. The rank was in use from 1716 to 1798, when Paul the First replaced the ranks of sergeant and senior sergeant with non-commissioned officer and sergeant major, respectively.
In the Red Army, the rank of "sergeant" appeared on November 2, 1940. The peculiarity of the Soviet sergeant staff was that not regular military personnel, but conscripts became sergeants, which, according to the plan of the Soviet military leadership, increases the mobilization qualities of the army. This approach paid off - in December 1979, a large one (50 thousand soldiers, sergeants and officers) was formed in 2 weeks.
An absolutely excellent NCO system in the US Army. As of 2010, sergeants there make up about 40% of the total strength of the Armed Forces. Of the more than 1,371,000 US military personnel, 547,000 are American sergeants. Of these: 241,500 are sergeants, 168,000 are staff sergeants, 100,000 are sergeants of the 1st class, 26,900 are master sergeants, 10,600 are sergeant majors.
Sergeant in the US Army is the first after God for soldiers and second lieutenants. The sergeants train them and take patronage over them.
2. Ensign
The ensigns in the Russian army were originally called standard-bearers. From the Church Slavonic language, "prapor" is a banner. The title was first introduced in 1649 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The high rank of ensign Russian soldiers had to deserve with their courage and military prowess.
The son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter I, when creating a regular army in 1712, introduced the military rank of ensign as the first (junior) rank of the chief officer in the infantry and cavalry.
Since 1884, the first officer's rank after leaving the military academy was second lieutenant (for cavalrymen - cornet), while the rank of warrant officer was retained for reserve officers, in the Caucasian militia and for wartime. In addition, soldiers who distinguished themselves during the battle could receive the rank of ensign.
Since 1886, the lower ranks could pass the warrant officer exam. Candidates who passed the exam were in the reserve for 12 years and had to undergo six-week military training annually.
In the fall of 1912, Nicholas II approved the "Regulations on accelerated graduations during the mobilization of the army from the corps of His Imperial Majesty's Pages, military and special schools." Now it was possible to become an ensign after 8 months of training. Thus, the ensigns became, as it were, "hasty officers", which affected the attitude towards them in the Russian Imperial Army.
However, according to the statistics of the First World War, a Russian ensign on the front line lived on average 10-15 days before being killed or wounded. Of the about 70 thousand killed and wounded in the 1914-17 years of the command staff of the Russian army, 40 thousand are just warrant officers, who accounted for the highest percentage of combat losses among officers and privates.
From 1917 to January 1, 1972, the rank of ensign did not exist. According to the status of "new warrant officers" were above the foreman and below the junior lieutenant. In comparison with the pre-revolutionary ranks, the Soviet ensign was equal to the ensign of the tsarist army.
Since 2009, the institution of warrant officers has been liquidated, but in February 2013, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the return of the institutions of warrant officers and warrant officers to the army and navy.
3. Lieutenant
The word "lieutenant" comes from the French lieutenant, which translates as "deputy". At the beginning of the 15th century, in France, this was the name of the commanding officers who held the posts of deputy chiefs of detachments, after - deputy commanders of companies, and in the navy this was the name of deputy captains of ships. From the second half of XVII century "lieutenant" became a military rank.
In Spain of the 15th-16th centuries, the same position was called "lugar teniente" or simply "teniente".
In Russia, from 1701 to 1917, the rank of lieutenant was only in the imperial fleet. In the USSR, the rank of lieutenant was introduced on September 22, 1935 as the primary officer rank received upon graduation from a military school or upon graduation from a military department in civilian universities. Junior lieutenants are awarded the rank of lieutenant upon the expiration of the established period of service with a positive attestation.
4. Captain
"Captain" and "kaput" are cognate words. In Latin, caput is a head. The captain translates as "warlord".
For the first time, the title "captain" began to be used again in France, in the Middle Ages this was the name of the chiefs of military districts. From 1558, company commanders began to be called captains, and the chiefs of military districts were called captain-generals.
In Russia, the rank of captain appeared in the 16th century. So they began to call the company commanders. In the cavalry and dragoon regiments and the corps of gendarmes since 1882, the captain was called a captain, and in the Cossack regiments, he was podsaul.
Until 1917, the rank of an army captain of the infantry was equal to the rank of a modern army major, the rank of captain of the guard was equal to that of an army lieutenant colonel.
In the Red Army, the rank of captain was introduced on September 22, 1935. At the same time, the ranks of captain of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks and lieutenant captain (the latter corresponds to the rank of captain in the army) were introduced for the naval personnel of the Navy.
5. Major
Major is translated as "senior". was also a major, since in Spanish-speaking countries the rank of commandant is equal to major.
The title appeared in the 17th century. This was the name of the regiment commander's assistants responsible for food and guard. When the regiments were divided into battalions, the majors became battalion commanders.
In the Russian army, the rank of major was introduced by Peter I in 1698. By analogy with the major generals of that time, the majors received not one star, as it is now, but two. The difference between the ranks was in the fringe on the epaulettes. For major generals, it was general, twisted, for majors, it was staff officer, made of thin threads.
From 1716 to 1797, the Russian army also had the ranks of prime-major and second-major. The division was overturned by Paul the First.
V Cossack troops the rank of major corresponded to the rank of "esaul", in the civil ranks - "collegiate assessor".
In 1884, the rank of major was abolished, and the majors became lieutenant colonels.
In the Red Army, the rank of major was introduced in 1935; in the navy, the rank of captain of the 3rd rank corresponded to it.
Now, apparently, it has become fashionable to assign military ranks to athletes. Vitali Klitschko received the rank of major.
And Sergei Shoigu recently awarded the rank of major to Elena Isinbayeva.
Well, Elena looks great, that in military uniform that without her ...
But still, my countrywoman, Svetlana Khorkina, is cooler and has the rank of lieutenant colonel.
6. General, Marshal, Generalissimo
“General” means “chief”, but “marshal” is translated as “groom” (French maréchal still means “blacksmith of horseshoes”). Nevertheless, until 1917, the marshal was the highest military rank in the Russian army, and after - from the same 1935 - in the Soviet.
But, in addition to marshals and generals, there are also generalissimos. For the first time in Russian history, the title "Generalissimo" was granted on June 28, 1696 by Peter I to voivode A.S. Shein for successful actions near Azov (we are not talking about "amusing" generalissimos). The military rank of Generalissimo was officially introduced in Russia by the Military Regulations of 1716.
Generalissimos in Russian history were: Prince Alexander Menshikov (1727), Prince Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig (1740), Alexander Suvorov (1799).
After the Great Patriotic War on June 26, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the higher military rank "Generalissimo Soviet Union". The next day, Joseph Stalin received this title. According to Rokossovsky's recollections, he personally persuaded Stalin to accept the rank, saying that "there are many marshals, but only one generalissimo."
During the Brezhnev reign, there was talk that Leonid Ilyich would receive this high title, but ... it did not work out.
The tradition of washing the stars
Receiving asterisks is customary to wash. And not only in Russia. Where exactly this tradition came from today is already difficult to establish, but it is known that the ranks were washed in the Great World War II, washed promotions in military service and in the army of the Russian Empire.
The tradition is well-known: the stars are placed in a glass, it is filled with vodka, after which it is drunk, and the stars are caught with the teeth and placed on the shoulder straps.
The tradition of "rinsing" the next rank, award, appointment or officer position in the Soviet army has strengthened since its inception. In the male officers' collective, it was considered not only normal, but also a mandatory act when the awarded (appointed) was "affixed" to fellow colleagues.
The medal (the order, the next "stars" on the shoulder straps) was dipped into a full glass of vodka (as an option, with alcohol). The toast drank (always to the bottom) a glass and kissed his reward. In the Soviet army, they drank a lot, and therefore, from time to time, the command tried to suppress these ritual drunks. However, officers always found an opportunity to mark an appointment or award.
The famous Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov, when appointed to the squadron by a military flight, spent his first salary of 143 rubles on drink. The tradition of the officer's "initiation" consisted in the fact that one had to buy an officer's cap for three and a half rubles, and the rest of the money should be played with new colleagues.
In the Great Patriotic War, ranks and awards were washed in a marching way - an order (medal) or stars were placed in mugs with vodka or alcohol. Alcohol was delivered to the front in the same way as food ("front-line hundred grams"), and with normal supplies there was no shortage of it (at least for officers). The ritual consisted in the fact that the honored officer, before drinking, as a rule, uttered something like a solemn address to the senior in rank and other colleagues: such and such set the table in connection with such and such. Then the vodka (alcohol) was drunk. If the "stars" were washed, they had to be caught in the process, caught with their teeth and put on brand new shoulder straps. When several officers were affixed, this ritual was repeated in turn.
Upon completion, the senior officers summed up the results: whether the affix was passed or not. "Failure" meant the postponement of the event to another day, when the holiday was repeated and eventually ended with the "official" confirmation of the new officer's status.
Finally, I found the ritual of celebrating one of the main events in the life of any serviceman, developed by the political department of the Ministry of Defense and recommended for the Armed Forces - washing the assignment of the next ( extraordinary) military rank
.
(for more than 20 years of service, I have not seen any options, but more and more homegrown ... but in any case there should be order!)
I am sure it is perfect for officers of the Civil Defense and Emergencies Ministry, Internal Troops and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Border Troops and FSB-MGB, Railway Troops of the Ministry of Railways, as well as all employees of any "power" structure who wear shoulder straps on their shoulders and regularly change stars on them , diamonds, etc.
Orderholding an officers' meeting with an agenda
"Assignment of the next military rank"
1. An officer who has been awarded the next military rank, must:
- to designate the place, time of the officers' meeting and uniform ( preferably everyday, but if the officer is a high-ranking commander or immediate superior, then subordinates can also wear a ceremonial dress as a sign of respect);
- invite to the meeting the officers whom he wishes ( their immediate superior and officers of their structural unit - of course);
- appoint a presenter to the meeting ( preferably an officer in a lower military rank and, if possible, a low drinker);
- arrive half an hour before the appointed time at the appointed place in full dress uniform ( shoulder straps and stars - according to the military rank in which the officer served before being awarded the next rank);
- check the layout menu, product yield, uvar, availability of dishes ( and necessarily - faceted glass ), spoons, forks, table setting;
- upon the arrival of officers of his unit and other officers - to meet them, while showing them where there are places for smoking, cleaning shoes, washing, etc .;
- upon arrival of the chiefs from the unit commander and above, give the command: " Comrades officers!"and report:" Comrade Colonel! Officers such and such a unit assembled for the officers' meeting. Commander such and such a unit (position) Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov";
- escort the boss to the place of honor at the head of the table and give the command: " Comrades officers! Please to the table";
- take a place to the right of your immediate superior.
2. Officers who have arrived at the officers' meeting are obliged to maintain silence and be always ready for action.
3. The immediate superior of the officer who has been awarded the rank, must (if there is no more senior commander or chief):
- check the presence of a faceted glass, accessories (stars), alcoholic beverages and the health status of your subordinate;
- in the ensuing silence, pour a full glass to the subordinate with your own hands vodka(!), put the stars in it according to the assigned rank.
4. The officer who has been awarded the rank takes a drill stance, raises the glass to chest level and reports: " Comrade Colonel! Comrades officers! Commander such and such a unit (position) Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov. I introduce myself on the occasion of my assignment of the next military rank Colonel"After drinking vodka to the bottom, he puts down the glass, takes the stars out of his mouth, takes a drill post and reports:" Colonel Ivanov". The chief announces:" Our regiment has arrived! Tidy up the uniform". At this command, two officers in a lower rank fasten one regular star to both shoulder straps directly on the officer's shoulders, then each of the officers present at the celebration pours into their own dishes with their own hands. vodka(!) exactly as much as he respects and honors the "newly baked" colonel. Everybody drinks first toast arbitrarily, clinking glasses and to the bottom ( but without toasts and comments).
Second toast given to the chief for congratulations.
Third toast also announces the boss: " Comrades officers! For those who are not with us"The officers drink in silence, standing, without clinking glasses, to the bottom.
Further, the chief transfers the right to lead the officers' meeting leading.
Fourth toast (collective) he provides all officers in the military rank, in which the hero of the occasion was previously. They one by one characterize the officer, present complaints and claims, if any, declare shortcomings that must be eliminated and not allowed in the new rank and draw a conclusion - whether they release him to a new quality or not Release from the team of lieutenant colonels".
Fifth toast (collective) is given to all officers in a military rank equal to the new title of hero of the occasion. They characterize the officer one by one, present complaints and claims, if any, declare shortcomings that must be eliminated and not allowed in the new rank and draw a conclusion - whether they accept it in a new capacity or not... After that, the one of the officers with the longest rank announces a collective decision and proposes a toast: " Admit colonels to the team".
Further, the presenter provides toasts to the officers in turn, depending on the position, rank, age.
Note:
If the officer who has been awarded the title is a non-drinker, he is allowed to replace vodka with low-alcohol drinks.
For others present, vodka can be replaced with other drinks only after the third toast.
Abridged version
Comrades officers! Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov.
I introduce myself on the occasion of my assignment of the next military rank "Colonel"! (sometimes added - "Order of the Minister No. ... of ...")A full glass of vodka (250 grams) with 3 stars at the bottom is drunk to the bottom, the stars are not swallowed (!), But remain in the mouth, after which they are carefully and accurately spat out onto a prepared shoulder strap or onto a shoulder strap.
Comrades officers! Colonel Ivanov.
From the editorial board. Today is the holiday of the defenders of the Fatherland. Our colleague, radio amateur Viktor Ivanovich Pashchenko UT2UQ, a career officer, sent interesting information for the readers of Radon for the holiday.
Briefly about Viktor Pashchenko. Commander of the engineering unit, which performed the task in Spitak. Passed through Afghanistan, Chernobyl. Head of the Explosive Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. There are more than 30 thousand neutralized explosive devices on the account. 38 awards (USSR, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Great Britain and the USA), 7 of them from the Presidents, the Verkhovna Rada, KM.
So, the floor is given to Victor UT2UQ.
Dear friends!
We sincerely congratulate you on Defender of the Fatherland Day! Good health, happiness, joy and clear sky!
I am attaching a photo with my daughters, they also wear shoulder straps. AND interesting stuff according to the traditions of officers.
Happy Holidays! Good health to you!
Best regards, 73!
Victor UT2UQ
Traditions of officers are immutable rules, an accepted spiritual code of conduct and a lifestyle passed down from generation to generation, protected and supported by the strict observance of the requirements set out in it.
Officer traditions require compliance with the following rules:
The recognition by the society of officers of responsibility for the actions of each of its officers, which, of course, does not diminish the responsibility of the officer himself for what he has done;
The requirement for officers to coordinate their actions, deeds, behavior and lifestyle with the requirements of officer ethics and the officer's code of honor:
Solidarity in upholding the honor of the uniform, dignity officer rank and requirements of fairness to the members of the corporation;
Inadmissibility of disclosing facts that took place in the officer environment;
Exclusion of backbiting, schadenfreude in assessing the behavior of other officers, manifestations of dishonesty, etc.;
Fidelity to the word, promise, oral statement, readiness to fulfill the promised and unconditional fulfillment of the obligations assumed;
Observance of external signs of decency, camaraderie and honor, especially in civil society, in public places;
The readiness of each member of the corporation of officers to come to the aid of a comrade in need of it, even without a formal request;
The manifestation of sincere sympathy for those who have suffered grief, misfortune, failure, etc.
Self-criticism, as a specific quality necessary in the officer environment, is required due to the fact that many people more often notice the shortcomings of others and do not see them in themselves. Such a bias, naturally, creates fertile ground for conflicts, quarrels and misunderstandings (1752).
The law of decency says: "Do not dishonor your neighbor's weaknesses in order to exalt yourself. Do not reveal his transgressions and delusions in order to show off your own advantage on his account" (1796).
Extract from the Charter of the Internal Service (from the 15th century to the present):
Servicemen introduce themselves to their immediate superiors:
When assigned to military post;
When passing a military post;
When assigning a military rank;
When awarded with an order or medal;
Introducing themselves to their immediate superior, servicemen state their military position, military rank, surname and reason for submission.
The performance was always held at the officers' meeting.
The procedure for holding an officer meeting with the agenda "Assigning the next military rank"
1. An officer who has been awarded the next military rank is obliged:
Designate the place, time of the officer's meeting and uniform (preferably everyday, but if the officer is a high-ranking commander or immediate superior, then subordinates can also wear a ceremonial dress as a sign of respect);
Invite to the meeting the officers whom he wishes (his immediate superior and the officers of his structural unit - of course);
Appoint a leader to the meeting (preferably an officer in a lower military rank and, if possible, a little drunk);
Arrive half an hour before the appointed time at the appointed place in full dress uniform (shoulder straps and stars - according to the military rank in which the officer served before being awarded the next rank);
Check the layout menu, product yield, uvar, the presence of dishes (and necessarily - faceted glass), spoons, forks, table setting;
Upon the arrival of officers of his unit and other officers, meet them, while showing them where there are places for smoking, shoe cleaning, washing, etc .;
Upon the arrival of the chiefs from the unit commander and above, give the command: "Comrades officers!" and report: "Comrade Colonel! The officers of such and such a subdivision have been assembled for the officers' meeting. The commander of such and such a subdivision (position) is Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov";
Escort the chief to the place of honor at the head of the table and give the command: "Comrades officers! Please go to the table";
Take a seat to the right of your immediate superior.
2. Officers who have arrived at the officers' meeting are obliged to maintain silence and be always ready for action.
3. The immediate superior of the officer who has been awarded the rank is obliged (if there is no more senior commander or superior):
Check for the presence of a faceted glass, accessories (stars), alcoholic beverages and for the state of health of your subordinate;
In the ensuing silence, pour a full glass of vodka (!) To the subordinate with your own hands, drop the stars into it according to the assigned rank.
4. The officer, who was awarded the rank, takes a combat stance, raises the glass to chest level and reports: "Comrade Colonel! Comrade officers! The commander of such and such a unit (position) is Lieutenant Colonel Ivanov. I introduce myself on the occasion of my being awarded the next military rank Colonel."
After drinking vodka to the bottom, puts down the glass, takes out the stars from his mouth, takes a drill post and reports: "Colonel Ivanov."
The chief announces: "Our regiment has arrived! Put the uniform in order." On this command, two officers in a lower rank fasten one regular star to both shoulder straps directly on the officer's shoulders, then each of the officers present at the celebration personally pours vodka (!) Into his bowl exactly as much as he respects and honors the "newly baked" colonel. Everyone drinks the first toast at random, clinking glasses to the bottom (but without toasts and comments).
The second toast for congratulations is given to the boss.
The third toast is also announced by the chief: "Comrades officers! For those who are not with us." The officers drink in silence, standing, without clinking glasses, to the bottom. Further, the chief transfers the right to lead the officers' meeting to the leader.
The fourth toast (collective) he provides to all officers in the military rank, in which the hero of the occasion was previously. They alternately characterize the officer, present complaints and claims, if any, declare shortcomings that must be eliminated and not allowed in the new rank and conclude whether they are releasing him to a new quality or not. After that, the one of the officers who is in the rank for the longest, announces a collective decision and proposes a toast: "Release the lieutenant colonels from the collective."
The fifth toast (collective) is given to all officers in a military rank equal to the new rank of hero of the occasion. They alternately characterize the officer, present complaints and claims, if any, declare shortcomings that must be eliminated and not allowed in the new rank and conclude whether they accept him in a new capacity or not. After that, the one of the officers who is in the rank for the longest, announces a collective decision and proposes a toast: "Admit colonels to the collective."
Note:
1. If the officer who has been awarded the title is a non-drinker, he is allowed to replace vodka with low-alcohol drinks. For others present, vodka can be replaced with other drinks only after the third toast.
2. The number of stars is thrown into the glass, corresponding to the number of stars according to the assigned rank, placed on one pursuit (due to the fact that the junior rank, when giving honor, stands in the front on the right or left and always distinguishes the rank by one epaulet on the uniform of the chief).
3. The procedure for holding an officer meeting with the agenda "Appointment to a higher position" is carried out at the request of the rank who received it. The meeting is held according to a similar scenario "Assignment of the next military rank", with the exception of throwing stars into a glass.
4. Conducting an officers' meeting with the agenda "Awarding an Order or Medal" is mandatory. The meeting is held according to the scenario "Assignment of the next military rank".
Literature
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