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.

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