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Nov 22, 2022 · Updated on Nov 22, 2022 9:02 AM PST. 4 minute read. SUMMARY. Even though the five-star general rank essentially died in 1981 with Omar Bradley, the idea of a five-star general rising above all others to command so much of the American and allied militaries is remarkably heroic. The five-star genera…. More.
U.S. Army Five-Star Generals How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they? The temporary grade of "General of the Army" (five-star) was provided for by...
Often called a "five-star general", the rank of General of the Army has historically been reserved for wartime use and is not currently active in the U.S. Army. The table below lists all the standard ranks in the U.S. Army and their respective pay grades, insignias, abbreviations, and classifications.
Five of the nine five-star officers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery: Generals Marshall, Arnold and Bradley, and Admirals Leahy and Halsey. Only three U.S. officers have held a rank higher than General of the Army or Fleet Admiral: John J. Pershing, George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant, who hold the rank of General of the Armies.
Typically, five-star officers hold the rank of general of the army, admiral of the fleet, field marshal, marshal or general of the air force, and several other similarly named ranks. As an active rank, the position exists only in a minority of countries and is usually held by only a very few officers during wartime.
On December 14, 1944, Public Law 78-482 established the five-star grade of General of the Army, preserving Pershing's status as the only General of the Armies and further stating that nothing would change about the 1919 law that had promoted him:
Only one member of the United States Air Force (then as the "United States Army Air Force") has ever held the rank of 5-star general as "General of the Air Force". Henry H. Arnold also holds the distinction as the only person to ever achieve the 5-star rank in two branches of the U.S. Armed Forces: Of note is the grade of "General of the Armies of the United States", a position held by only ...
