Army Officer Ranks
Second Lietuenant (2LT)
First Lietuenant (1LT)
Captain (CPT)
Major (MAJ)
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)
Full (Bird) Colonel (COL)
Brigadier General (BG)
Major General (MG)
Lietenant General (LTG)
General (GEN)
General of the Army
Relatively little-known is the fact that officer ranks in most services
adhere to a conceptual hierarchy wherein the symbols relate to physical
depth under or height above the ground.
Note that a Second Lieutenant's gold bars come from deep in the ground.
A First Lieutenant's silver bars come from a place not quite so deep. A
Captain's double silver is compounded, but is still no higher. A Major's
and Colonel's Oak Leaf symbols suggest a presence barely above the ground.
A full Colonel's Bird is in the sky; a General's Stars are in the heavens;
and it all makes perfect sense.
Click here to go back to the main Ranks Page.