A ghost of a smile flitted across the top sergeant's face.

It was the top sergeant who found her voice first.

And rising from his bench, he said, "I must say I've never seen a top sergeant who looked like you."

"Just for a few minutes in passing," the top sergeant said.

He was discharged in 1916 as a "top" or first sergeant.

I figure there's no special break in the chain of command between top sergeant and second lieutenant.

She read me out like a top sergeant.

"I'll say we won't," the top sergeant promised, "not after seeing what happened to that dummy!"

Now trot back to your top sergeant, son, and show him that.

Now he was giving orders like an old top sergeant.