General of the Army
The five-star US Army rank, OF-10, created in December 1944 to place American commanders over allied field marshals.
Overview
General of the Army was authorized by Congress in December 1944 so that American theater commanders would not be outranked by British field marshals in combined headquarters. William Leahy of the Navy analogy aside, the Army recipients were George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, and Henry Arnold, with Omar Bradley elevated in 1950. The rank is OF-10 in NATO terms and was designed to exist only in war. No officer has held it since Bradley died in 1981, and Congress retains the power to revive it. The insignia is five stars in a circle.
Related Topics
Private
New soldiers enter the Army as Private, pay grade E-1, wearing no insignia. Advancement to Private E-2, one chevron, typically fol...
Private First Class
Private First Class wears one chevron with one rocker and typically arrives within the first one to two years of service. PFCs are...
Corporal
Corporal wears two chevrons and is the smallest true command rank: a corporal can lead a fire team of about four soldiers and enfo...
Sergeant
Sergeant wears three chevrons and typically leads a squad of eight to twelve soldiers, the smallest unit that fights as a complete...