Later, a "soldier sergeant" was a man of what would now be thought of as the "middle class", fulfilling a slightly junior role to the knight in the medieval hierarchy.

Most notable medieval mercenaries fell into the "sergeant" class, such as Flemish crossbowmen and spearmen, who were seen as reliable quality troops.

A specific kind of military sergeant was the serjeant-at-arms, one of a body of armed men retained by English lords and monarchs.

The title is now given to an officer in modern legislative bodies who is charged with keeping order during meetings and, if necessary, forcibly removing disruptive members.

The term had also civilian applications quite distinct and different from the military sergeant, though sharing the etymological origin – for example the serjeant-at-law, historically an important and prestigious order of English lawyers.

There are usually several ranks of sergeant, each corresponding to greater experience and responsibility for the daily lives of the soldiers of larger units.

Embroidered rank badges are worn in "CF gold" thread on rifle green Melton, stitched to the upper sleeves of the service dress jacket; as miniature gold metal and rifle-green enamel badges on the collars of the army dress shirt and army outerwear jackets; in "old-gold" thread on air force blue slip-ins on air force shirts, sweaters, and coats; and in a tan thread on CADPAT slip-ins (army) or dark blue thread on olive-drab slip-ins (air force) on the operational dress uniform.

Sergeant is the highest non-commissioned officer rank that a conscript who has completed the junior NCO course (aliupseerikoulu in Finnish) can reach before entering the reserve.

There's no difference between the 4-month squad leader training and service time of alikersantti and kersantti; all start their squad leader tour with the lower rank and the optional promotion is based on the superior's assessment of individual performance and intended duties in the wartime organization; special roles such as that of platoon sergeant or company first sergeant are typically reserved for kersantti and upwards.

French sergeant ranks are used by the air force, engineers, infantry, Foreign Legion, Troupes de marine, communications, administrative service, and Gendarmerie mobile[citation needed].

The service dress insignia consists of three wavy red chevrons 9 cm wide bordered in yellow.

In the Israel Defense Forces, soldiers are promoted from corporal to sergeant after approximately 18 months of service (16 for combatants), if they performed their duties appropriately during this time, and did not have disciplinary problems.

The Hebrew name for the rank is samál originated as an acronym for סגן מחוץ למנין segen mi-khutz la-minyan ("supernumerary lieutenant") (inspired by the abbreviation "NCO").

In the modern Russian army, there are attempts to change this system and make most or all sergeants career non-commissioned officers; they are met with limited success.

While active duty national servicemen may be promoted to second sergeant, most personnel holding ranks above that are career soldiers.

These factors include failure to pass an annual physical fitness proficiency test, poor performance, or being charged for offences.

NPCC and NCDCC sergeants wear a rank insignia of three pointed-down chevrons, with the letters 'NPCC' and 'NCDCC' located below the insignia, so as to differentiate NPCC and NCDCC cadets from Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force personnel respectively.

In Sweden, sergeant is the most junior specialist officers rank above överfurir (a squad leader at skill level C (advanced)) and below översergeant.

[18] This is derived from the practices of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who were a mounted police force and followed a tradition of upward-pointing ranks.

The sergeants played less of a leadership role in combat than in modern forces, as the massed company was under the direct control of the officers, but the sergeant aided the officer by repeating commands, and by using his spontoon to signal, align the ranks, and ensure that their muskets were properly leveled.

Spontoons driven into the ground were also used as braces for stacking arms when not in use, one of the many tasks in which the men would frequently be supervised by a non-commissioned officer when not in combat.

Sergeants began to transition from serving as the battlefield bodyguards of aristocratic officers and disciplinarians into being combat leaders integral to the tactical situation.

Both varied the color of the stripes by assigning red for artillery, yellow for cavalry, blue for infantry and later in the war, green for sharpshooters.

These section and team leaders ensure that their soldiers meet standards in personal appearance and teach them to maintain and account for their individual and unit equipment and property.

The NCO enforces standards and develops and trains soldiers daily in their military occupational specialty and unit mission.

Once a Marine attains the rank of sergeant, promotions no longer derive from a composite and cutting score-based system; instead, they receive a Fitness Report, or FITREP (i.e., a formal written evaluation, grading attributes from appearance and bearing to leadership and technical proficiency).

This position is filled by an experienced gunnery sergeant who is typically in charge of coordinating operations, logistics, and individual training for a company-sized group of Marines (approximately 180 personnel).

Owing to their involvement in the management of unit supply/re-supply the "Company Gunny" is colloquially known to be in charge of the "3 Bs": beans, bullets, and band-aids.

From 1775 until WWII the Marine Corps used essentially the same rank and organizational structure as its common British and colonial forebears with the Army, as well as the later Continental and U.S.

The USAF sergeant was replaced by airman first class (A1C) in April 1952, this E-4 grade being now an enlisted rank below NCO level.