Primus Pilus

[SOCL]

I've always equated centurions to being rather like warrant officers in the U.S. Army as they begin and have some duties of both enlisted and commissioned officers, but also, especially in the higher grades, carrying the same sort of prestige as field grade officers. A good, though humorous example of this is the fact that CW3s and Captains share the same parking spaces on certain bases (such as Fort Campbell and Benning), CW4s and Majors/Lieutenant Colonels, and CW5 and Colonels. Perhaps this is a bad example, but consider.

A Primus Pilus has the same sort of extended experience of a Sergeant Major, but carries the responsibilites of a captain (company command) and a lieutenant colonel (battalion command), while at the same time has the sort of prestige in grade and time which can only be properly attributed to a "full-bird" colonel. It's the same way the Camp Prefect carries the same sort of prestige of grade and time as a general officer, but carries responsibilites that are normally attributed a Command Sergeant Major and also those duties attributed to senior staff officers on a General's Staff.