How many Sergeants Major of the Army have there been?

• A. 12
• B. 15
• C. 10
• D. 20

Answer: (B)

This question tests your recall of the number of individuals who have held the Sergeant Major of the Army position since its creation. The Sergeant Major of the Army is the Army’s senior enlisted adviser, a unique appointment made to serve one person at a time. The post was created in 1966, and since then a new individual has assumed the role whenever there was a change in the office. Counting each person who has served since that first appointment gives fifteen distinct Sergeants Major of the Army. The other numbers don’t fit the historical record: it hasn’t been as few as ten or twelve, nor as many as twenty, given the timeline since 1966.