Colonel (United States)
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naval ranks |
A colonel (
When worn alone, the insignia of rank seen at right is worn centered on headgear and fatigue uniforms. When worn in pairs, the insignia is worn on the officer's left side while a mirror-image reverse version is worn on the right side, such that both of the eagles' heads face forward, to the wearer's front.
Insignia
The insignia for a colonel is a
However, when worn as a single insignia with no matching pair, such as on the
History
Origins
The U.S. rank of colonel is a direct successor to the same rank in the British Army. The first colonels in the United Stares were appointed from colonial militias maintained as reserves to the British Army in the North American colonies. Upon the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, colonial legislatures would grant commissions to men to raise a regiment and serve as its colonel. Thus, the first U.S. colonels were usually respected men with ties in local communities and active in politics.
With the post-war reduction of the U.S. Army, the rank of colonel disappeared, and was not re-introduced until 1802.
The first insignia for the rank of colonel consisted of gold epaulettes worn on the blue uniform of the Continental Army.
19th century
The rank of colonel was relatively rare in the early 19th century, partly because the U.S. Army was very small, and the rank was usually obtained only after long years of service. During the War of 1812 the Army grew rapidly and many colonels were appointed, but most of these colonels were discharged when their regiments were disbanded at the war's conclusion. A number of other colonels were appointed by brevet – an honorary promotion usually for distinguished service in combat.
The American Civil War saw a large influx of colonels as the rank was commonly held in both the Confederate army and Union Army by those who commanded a regiment. Since most U.S. regiments were state formations and were quickly raised, the colonels in command of the regiments were known by the title "Colonel of Volunteers", in contrast to Regular Army colonels who held permanent commissions.
During the Civil War, the Confederate army maintained a unique insignia for colonel, which comprised three yellow stars worn on the collar of a uniform. Robert E. Lee wore this insignia due to his former rank in the United States Army and refused to wear the insignia of a Confederate general, stating that he would only accept permanent promotion when the Confederacy had defeated the U.S. and achieved its independence.
After the end of the Civil War, the rank of colonel again became rare as the forces of the United States Army downsized and became extremely small. However, many U.S. colonels were appointed in the volunteers during the
20th century
World War I and World War II saw the largest numbers of colonels ever appointed in the U.S. military. This was mostly due to the temporary ranks of the National Army and the Army of the United States, where those who would normally hold the rank of Captain in the peacetime Regular Army were thrust into the rank of colonel during these two wars.
The Military Promotion System was revised and standardized for all the services in 1980 as a result of passage of the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act.
21st century
Contemporary U.S. colonels usually command Army infantry, artillery, armor, aviation, special forces, or other types of
An Army colonel typically commands brigade-sized units (4,000 to 6,000 soldiers), with another colonel or a lieutenant colonel as deputy commander, a major as executive officer, and a command sergeant major as a senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) advisor.
An Air Force colonel typically commands a
A Space Force colonel typically commands a delta.[5]
In the modern armed forces, the colonel's eagle is worn facing forward with head and beak pointing towards the wearer's front. Of all U.S. military commissioned officer rank, only the colonel's eagle has a distinct right and left insignia. All other commissioned officer rank insignia can be worn on either the right or left side.
Colonels are sometimes referred to (but not addressed as) full colonels, bird colonels, or full bird colonels because lieutenant colonels are also referred to and addressed in correspondence as "colonel". Referring to an "O-6", a colonel's pay grade, also may differentiate colonels and lieutenant colonels, who have a pay grade of "O-5". Officers in pay grade O-6 visiting or on temporary assignment to other installations are also accorded "Distinguished Visitor" (DV) status for lodging and other appropriate protocol honors. When flying on military aircraft as either crew or passenger, they are also accorded "Code" status as a "Code 7" in accordance with Department of Defense Flight Information Publication General Planning (DoD FLIP GP).
Most Army colonels have attended or otherwise completed via seminar or correspondence a war college or a senior staff college equivalent to study joint warfare and war itself. It is possible to make Colonel without war college if the board file is as strong or stronger than a war college graduate. Most Army colonels receive postgraduate level senior joint professional military education (JPME) at the
A high concentration of USAF colonels graduate from the
Marine colonels may graduate from the Marine Corps War College or, like all other branches, may receive credit via non-resident attendance at another installation, via correspondence, or will be graduates of an equivalent senior JPME program sponsored by the National Defense University or one of the other U.S. military services.[8]
Honorary colonels
Some people known as "colonels" are actually recipients of honorary colonel ranks from a state governor and are not officers of the U.S. military. In the 19th century, the honorary colonels were military appointments and they still are nominally appointed to a governor's staff, but without military rights or duties. Examples of honorary colonels include Colonel
Famous colonels
- Famous U.S. Army colonels
- Harold Gregory Moore – Arguably the most famous United States Army soldier of the Vietnam War, Moore commanded the Third Brigade of the elite United States Army's First Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War after his victory at the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965.
- special forcesdetachment.
- Deborah L. Birx– American physician and diplomat who served under four Presidential Administrations in various public health roles, including the HIV/AIDS task force and leading the 2020 Coronavirus Task Force.
- Anthony Brown – Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2007–2015) and Commander of the 153rd Legal Support Organization in Pennsylvania; formerly the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. to have served a tour of duty in the Iraq War;[9] Co-chair of the Obama/Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg.
- David Hackworth – Served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, an author and military media consultant. Formerly the highest decorated living soldier.
- Jack H. Jacobs – Medal of Honor recipient for his actions during the Vietnam War.
- Ernest Lester Jones – First director of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey
- Harpers Ferry. During the American Civil War he joined the Confederacy and became the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States.
- W. Patrick Lang Retired Special Forces officer, commentator on the Middle East. intelligence executive, and author
- Lost Texas Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.
- National Order of the Legion of Honor; he also was the commanding officer of the 17th Infantry during the Korean War. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge, captured Hermann Göringand arrived at Dachau the day after it was liberated. After the war Quinn played a key role in forming the CIA.
- Theodore Roosevelt – 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, recipient of the Medal of Honor, and 26th President of the United States.
- 54th Massachusetts.
- James L. Stone – Recipient of the highest U.S. military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Korean War.
- Blake R. Van Leer – United States Army officer, served in both World War I and World War II, awarded the Croix de Guerre and president of Georgia Tech.
- Famous USAF colonels
- Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin – USAF Command Pilot-Astronaut; during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission he became the second person to step on the Moon.
- Operation Desert Storm.
- Alexander Butterfield – U.S. Air Force colonel who became an aide to President Nixon and was later appointed administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Cooperated with prosecutors during the Watergate scandal.
- Nicole Malachowski – U.S. Air Force colonel who became the first woman pilot of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.
- A-10 Thunderbolt II, first U.S. woman to fly in combat. Later a U.S. congresswoman and U.S. Senator from Arizona.
- Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen – Started "Operation Little Vittles" in July 1948 (officially from September 22, 1948, to May 13, 1949) to drop candy to children in Berlin during the Berlin Airlift earning him the nickname "The Candy Bomber".
- Doug Collins – Former United States 9th District Congressman from Georgia. Did one tour to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Famous USMC colonels
- Wesley L. Fox – United States Marine Corps recipient of the Medal of Honor.
- John Glenn – Marine Corps aviator, served in the Korean War, astronaut and U.S. Senator.
- Ed McMahon – United States Marine Corps Reserve aviator and television personality.
- Chesty Puller – World War II and Korean War veteran; later promoted up to lieutenant general.
- Battle of Guadalcanal, flying ace with 19 victories and Medal of Honor recipient
- Famous USSF colonels
- Famous Continental Army colonels
- Washington's crossing of the Delaware River for the Battle of Trenton.
- brigadier general.
- Henry Rutgers – philanthropist and namesake of Rutgers University.
- Jerry Signs - Directed the operations on WW2 code word "keep sake."
- Famous Confederate colonels
- Colonel-Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps.
- John Jackson Dickison – led the Confederate forces which captured USS Columbine, in the only known incident in North American history where a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat.
- Ambrosio José Gonzales – Cuban revolutionary who advocated for the U.S. annexation of Cuba before serving in the Confederacy.
- John S. Mosby – Confederate irregular cavalry leader who was known for his innovation of partisan tactics and unconventional warfare.
Notes
- National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.
References
- ^ "Air Force Colonel". www.military-ranks.org. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ "Direct Commissioning". army.mil. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Officer Rank Insignia". dodfire.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2002. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "ASSIST-QuickSearch Document Details". quicksearch.dla.mil. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Erwin, Sandra (June 30, 2020). "Space Force to stand up three major commands, lower echelons to be called 'deltas'".
- ^ "US Army War College". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
- ^ carlisle.army.mil Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "SENIOR SERVICE COLLEGE COLLEGE/FELLOWSHIP/FOREIGN SCHOOL INFORMATION AY 2012–2013" (PDF). www.usacac.army.mil.
- ^ "National Journal Online -- Lost in Transition -- Maryland Lt. Gov. 'Serious' Contender for VA Slot". Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
External links
- Media related to Colonels of the United States at Wikimedia Commons