Major (O-4)
Major (Maj) is the fourth Marine Corps commissioned officer rank, pay grade O-4. Its insignia is a gold oak leaf.
Easily confused with
How to read it
Major, between Captain (O-3) (O-3) and lieutenant colonel (O-5), is the first field grade rank; the Department of Defense groups O-4 to O-6 as field grade officers. The uniform regulations describe a seven-pointed oak leaf, raised and veined, the same leaf as the lieutenant colonel’s in gold instead of silver.
Also searched as: Maj, marine major.
Ranks and insignia as the Marine Corps’ own orders and pages set them out. Pay grades are the Department of Defense’s.
Gold leaf or silver leaf?
The gold leaf is the lower rank. The lieutenant colonel’s leaf is the same shape in silver. The metals run the same way as the lieutenants’ bars, where gold is also the junior.
In the field
On subdued field insignia the major’s gold leaf is drab brown, and silver insignia are flat black.
Read next
More marine Corps ranks
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- Marine Corps Ranks, marines.mil, Ranks, United States Marine Corps, Officer
- Marine Corps Uniform Regulations (MCO 1020.34H), MCO 1020.34H, 1 May 2018, Commandant of the Marine Corps, para 4005.2.f–g, 4005.3.a, pp. 1-99 to 1-100
- Officer Knowledge (Officer Development School), Officer Training Command Newport, ODS Knowledge Book, Naval Service Training Command, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Officer Rank Structure
- U.S. Military Rank Insignia, Resources: U.S. Military Rank Insignia (enlisted and officer insignia by paygrade), U.S. Department of Defense (defense.gov), Officer insignia, O-4
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. How we research
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