[Mogger]

Date of rank determines the sonority in the American military, between equals.

I know this personally as I was involved in a 3 way fight over who was NOT going to be in charge of a flight line.

A two star general informed me I had lost and was now an air terminal manager.

I was unqualified, uneducated, and unwilling to do it.

The 2 other guys were older and had been in the US Air Force longer than me.

But I had time in grade.

We were all just Staff Sgts., there should have been at least a Captain in charge.

[ansel12]

A perfect and ordinary example that guys deal with in the military frequently.