what rank should DUKE be??

[speedlgt]

ok first off I understand that in GI JOE rank may not really be a big deal, its more of you follow this guy and thats that.
but throughout its history in various versions and media DUKE has always be the 1st or 2nd in command, thus what rank should we as community of fans place him at? he's been for the most part a First Sargent, but the movie file cards have at Major, in the film it self he was a Captain, and IDW has now made him a Colonel and to make this more odd in DD i think he was an AGENT outside the scope of military ranks.

I am really picky with this gi joe stuff so its somethign I am torn on. ON the one hand duke should be a guy that gets out and fights not a guy behind a desk. But he should be high enough in rank to the 1st or 2nd. I am wondering if maybe he should a "made up" rank such as director(commander) of gijoe (aka director of shield)
or perhaps his rank should be "Field Commander of GI JOE"
well what do tankers say.

and BTW no DUKE Hate! lol

[haradrel]

Seeing as G.I.Joe operates in terms of specialty, I say call them all Agents, and throw rank out the door.

That way it will be easier. And he can be "Former First Sergeant" without giving away how many years and/or promotions have passed him by.

[Colonel Bludd]

I think Colonel fits him best. They are in command a lot and still in the field with the troops.

[Smokebomb]

Im with Haradrel.

[Killswitch]

I think it should be changed from First Sergent to maybe First Officer: Field Operations Commander(F.O.C. I know)...that kind of gives him a top slot without labeling him LT. LT CMDR CMDR COLONEL or CAPTAIN....I still think RANK does still need to be incorporated somehow even though everyone is "specialist" or Agents....I like the idea of a Specialist being able to take lead and even have some Command Authority in situations where their respective expertise is required.

The perfect example of this is from the Original Mini series where scarlet is the field leader but Snow Job sort of takes over because they are all in his element and Trip Wire just happens to be there and takes over when he is sweeping for trouble....Flash and Snake Eyes are there as support and it turns out Snake eyes is the big hero! lol The point is...they are a well functioning, well oiled team and at the end of the day that is what wins!

The file cards need to be updated and expanded upon in my opinion with some real Military Information along with interesting tidbits...I'm a fan of the Original file cards and how they were laid out and as a kid it did fire up my imagination...but the ranking system had me confused for the longest time...I eventually went into the Service...I never had a "Secondary Military Specialty"...I was an "EO" Heavy Equipment Operator! ; D

[dpstro]

The original cartoon Duke is one of my favorites! I say 1stSgt. The revenge of cobra didn't make him a punk either. The only reason I really didn't like him in ROC was because of the facial hair.

[07GT500 COBRA]

I like Duke as an NCO (First Sergeant) much better than as an officer.

[dpstro]

I think Colonel fits him best. They are in command a lot and still in the field with the troops.

when you say in the field with the troops please specify. In the Marines Colonels are usually in charge of the Regiment. A LtCol would be in charge of the battalion. In terms of actually being in the field and in the fight with the men would most likely be a 1st or 2nd Lt.

[musashi3000gt]

1st Sergeant! and shame on you for even considering the ROC universe!

[Wylde Weezle]

1st Sergeant; it's something I hate about the ROC universe Duke. He wasn't even in charge of leading the Joe missions in that movie, so why make him a Captain (wearing Major rank). He would've commanded just as much respect as a convoy commander in the beginning of the movie being a 1st Sergeant.

[grunt0341]

With G.I. Joe rank is really only relevant if any member were to go back to serving in their respective branches...like my Senior Drill Instructor was an E-6 but one of his Junior Drill Instructors was an E-7...my favorite G.I. Joe episode was where Flint gave Beachhead the chain of command breakdown...Duke as a First Sergeant was over Flint (a Warrant Officer)...so it's more about the position they are given than rank

[Python Viper]

E-8 1st Sgt.

[Dem_Yoe'z!]

Duke is supposed to be a 1SG (first sergeant), which is an NCO leadership rank given at a company level. If GIJoe is larger than a company in size then Duke should be a CSM (command seargent major).

It is clear to me anyway after looking at some file cards that Hasbro has almost no concept of military rank or chain of command

[dpstro]

With G.I. Joe rank is really only relevant if any member were to go back to serving in their respective branches...like my Senior Drill Instructor was an E-6 but one of his Junior Drill Instructors was an E-7...my favorite G.I. Joe episode was where Flint gave Beachhead the chain of command breakdown...Duke as a First Sergeant was over Flint (a Warrant Officer)...so it's more about the position they are given than rank

My favorite episode. Arise Serpentor Arise Part 1.

[TARGETSIX]

He should be a 1st Sgt. IDW just promoted him from an NCO to a Colonel (or maybe it was Lt. Col.) which in my mind is just beyond stupid. As a 1st Sgt. he is a great field/tactical leader.

[Balaclava]

1SG or MSG…
He’s the Senior NCO for the Team. (This means he needs to be older or really “salty”…) In my ‘verse” it’s not a Platoon, Company, or Battalion sized element. I’ve tried to be creative and make a Military Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) / Unit Manning Roster (UMR); but, it’s too difficult and I don’t have the attention span to complete it. If Duke is the Senior NCO for the organization, then that would in fact make him the number 2 guy. With Army Company Level organization s and above there is always a Commanding Officer (CO), Senior Enlisted Advisor (CSM, 1SG), and an Executive Officer (XO). While the XO would be next in the Succession of Command, that CSM or 1SG, is that Commander’s (at least a Good Commander’s) right hand man and he wouldn’t do anything without the CSM/1SG’s approval. This is where I see Duke. He’s in the field, with the team, developing them. He’s gonna’ let them make a decisions; but, not bad ones…Each team member is going to value his decision making abilities and look to him for leadership and mentorship. The Commanding Officer is going to be right there with him while all of the Plans Officers are back in the TOC watching the Mission unfold via Predator feed. If the team splits up, then Duke takes the other half. If, in the heat of battle, the CO goes down, then Duke leads the way. He should be the most seasoned Joe on the team…

[Headman]

E-9. Sgt Major.

[Troops of Doom]

Just because cartoon and film makers don't understand military rank doesn't change anything for me. His filecard says "First Sargent" so that's what he is.

[Headman]

Just because cartoon and film makers don't understand military rank doesn't change anything for me. His filecard says "First Sargent" so that's what he is.

So you don't think he's been promoted since 1984?

[Synthoid69]

As a kid I always thought he was a Colonel.

[Headman]

As a kid I always thought he was a Colonel.

As a kid you were WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!

[Troops of Doom]

So you don't think he's been promoted since 1984?

Nope. GI Joe has to be treated as timeless, otherwise having serving in Vietnam Duke would be in his 60s. Too old for special forces. He turned down a commission too, he didn't want to be promoted.

[Talisman]

Nope. GI Joe has to be treated as timeless, otherwise having serving in Vietnam Duke would be in his 60s. Too old for special forces. He turned down a commission too, he didn't want to be promoted.

I pass it off as G.I. Joe being something of a modern day equivalent of the Persian Immortals. Every named character is a "Legacy Character"- the names are titles handed from one person to another. 1984's Duke and 2009's Duke are the same in name, service, and role, but are otherwise completely different people. It's also how I justify rank fluctuations.

As for why they all look the same(ish): Space Magic. Or cosmetic surgery, your pick.

[Sector_15]

He should be ranking like a safari park chimp.

[Troynos]

Duke is a 1st Sargeant and that's it. He should never have been in charge or 2nd in charge.

[Headman]

Duke is a 1st Sargeant and that's it. He should never have been in charge or 2nd in charge.

No, he should still be in charge.

[grunt0341]

...I'm starting to miss Sonalia...

[Cobra Terrorist]

Please reference: Original filecard

[CrimsonGuard101]

ARAH Duke- 1st Sergeant

Channing Tatumn Duke- Non-enlisted civilian

nuff said.

[07GT500 COBRA]

As an NCO he's "Duke" as an officer he's "Douche".

[Ruin]

Seeing as G.I.Joe operates in terms of specialty, I say call them all Agents, and throw rank out the door.

That way it will be easier. And he can be "Former First Sergeant" without giving away how many years and/or promotions have passed him by.

I think at that point GI Joe becomes too much of a strickly covert-ops group of suits, lacking the charm of militarization. But that's just me...

Duke's persona and character befits a veteran sergeant (I have him as a CSM E-9), but the authority he wields through most of the series better reflects that of field officer (Major to Colonel).

I thought making him some punk captain in ROC was pretty crummy. That wasn't Duke at all.

[DaveViper]

I like Duke as an NCO (First Sergeant) much better than as an officer.

This would be the right answer, officers at my work don't actually do anything.
:D


Enlisted men and women are the back bone of the military.

[speedlgt]

I have never been in the service but I "think" I understand ranks as in I have done research and (i know its a cartoon) but didnt Lt Falcon have it right in the movie when pulled rank on duke who was putting him on guard duty?

or do rookie LTs have to take orders from NCOs?

[Balaclava]

or do rookie LTs have to take orders from NCOs?

If an LT wants to learn how to be a good officer and lead troops...then he better listen to his NCOs.

[Loose Cannon]

I like him as both an Officer and Enlisted. Duke has made it to both O-4 Major and E-9 SGM on the file cards. Now IDW made him a full bird. My main problem is all the other figures that outrank him that I like. Sure as an E-9 he and Gung-Ho, Stalker, Altitude, Mercer and Rock'n'Roll make good company. But I never liked the idea of him taking orders from anyone other than Hawk, so I leave that role for Stalker. I disregard the cartoon ranking system entirely even though that is what gives me the perception of him having a higher rank. The military is all about rank. But there were hardly any characters that outranked Duke as an E-8 through most of the early years. The ones who did were not combat infantry officers.