07
Nov
Eisenhower henry hap arnold and omar n. Arnold omar bradley william d.
Five army and four navy officers received five stars george c.
Five star generals us. General of the army abbreviated as ga is a five star general officer and the second highest possible rank in the united states army a general of the army ranks immediately above a general and is equivalent to a fleet admiral and a general of the air force. The general of the army insignia consisted of five 3 8 inch 9 5 mm stars in a pentagonal pattern with touching points. Arnold also holds the distinction as the only person to ever achieve the 5 star rank in two branches of the u s.
Of note is the grade of general of the armies of the united states a position held by only two persons in american history george washington and john j. Of the two only general pershing held the title while still alive washington being posthumously bestowed the honor by president gerald ford in 1976. The rank of five star general is the rarest title given out by the united states army.
A five star general of the united states army is a grade that came into effect on december 14 1944. Those that have been appointed as five star generals receive the title of general of the army so this grade is not given out lightly or frequently. The five star general officer was born in wwii because american generals and admirals were often placed above allied officers of a higher rank.
Someone elevated to that position could never retire and was considered an active duty officer for the rest of their life. That s a lot of trust. Army generals have held the rank of five star general beginning in 1944.
George marshall douglas macarthur dwight eisenhower henry arnold and omar bradley. Arnold also became the u s. Air force s only five star general when his title was redesignated as general of the air force in 1949.
General joseph stillwell army general carl spaatz air force general george s. Patton army admiral raymond a. Spruance navy admiral husband e.
Kimmel navy general mathew b. Ridgway army general hoyt s. Vandenberg air force general curtis e.
Lemay air force admiral hyman rickover navy general william westmoreland army admiral john s. Navy general creighton w. Army general alexander haig army general norman schwartzkopf army.
One might be surprised to find who is not on this list which includes george c. Marshall douglas macarthur dwight d. Eisenhower henry hap arnold and omar n.
The rank of five star general was created as a sort of brevet or provisional rank by congress in 1944. A five star rank is a very senior military rank first established in the united states in 1944 with a five star general insignia and corresponding ranks in other countries. The rank is that of the most senior operational military commanders and within nato s standard rank scale it is designated by the code of 10.
Not all armed forces have such a rank and in those that do the actual. Five army and four navy officers received five stars george c. Marshall douglas macarthur dwight d.
Arnold omar bradley william d. King chester nimitz. They aren t really necessary.
Military ranks are really just to let other soldiers know who is in charge. Keep in mind that combat can get a little hectic and it is not unexpected for a captain or a major to walk up to a group of men he has never.