colonel (united states)
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Colonel (United States)
Army , Air Force , and Marine Corps insignia of the rank of
colonel. Style and method of wear may vary between the ser-
vices.
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps,
colonel (pronounced “ker-nul”) is the most senior field
grade military officer rank immediately above the rank
of lieutenant colonel and immediately below the rank of
brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of
captain in theotheruniformed services.[n 1] The pay grade
for colonel is O-6.
The insignia of the rank of colonel, as seen on the right,
is worn on the officer’s left side (a mirror-image version
is worn on the right side, such that the eagle always faces
forward to the wearer’s front; the left-side version is also
worn centered on fatigue caps, helmets, ACU & ECWCS
breasts, inter alia).
1 Insignia
The insignia for a colonel is a silver eagle which is a styl-
ized representation of the eagle dominating theGreat Seal
of the United States (which is the coat of arms of the
United States). As on the Great Seal, the eagle has a
U.S. shield superimposed on its chest and is holding an
olive branch and bundle of arrows in its talons. However,
in simplification of the Great Seal image, the insignia
lacks the scroll in the eagle’s mouth and the rosette above
its head. On the Great Seal, the olive branch is always
clutched in the eagle’s right-side talons, while the bundle
of arrows is always clutched in the left-side talons. The
head of the eagle faces towards the olive branch, rather
than the arrows, advocating peace rather than war. As
a result, the head of the eagle always faces towards the
viewer’s left. During World War II the military insignia
for the rank of Colonel changed somewhat with the eagle
facing the arrows. This was done only during war years.These special “war eagles,” although rare, can sometimes
be found in military surplus or memorabilia sales.
William Few in the uniform of a Continental Army colonel
However, when worn as a single insignia with no match-
ing pair, such as on the patrol cap, garrison cap/flight
cap, or the front of the Army ACU, there is a split be-
tween the services on which mirror image of the eagle
should be worn. In the United States Army and United
States Air Force, the eagle is always worn with “the head
of the eagle to the wearer’s right,” with the olive branch
clutched in the eagle’s right hand talons (see Army Regu-
lation 670-1, paragraph 28-6 (a)(1)). In the United States
Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast
Guard and NOAA, theeagle is worn with “the head facing
forward” on the wearer’s right side of the garrison cover
(see Marine Corps Order P1020.34G, Uniform Regula-
tion, paragraph 4005d(1)). Since respective service’s of-
ficer insignia is worn on the left side and the rank insignia
is worn on the right hand side of the Navy, Marine, Coast
Guard and NOAA garrison caps, the eagle is facing to
the eagle’s left with the olive branch clutched in the ea-gle’s left hand talons, which is a mirror opposite to the
wear of the single eagle for Army and Air Force officers.
1
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2 4 20TH CENTURY
2 Origins
The United States rank of colonel is a direct successor
to the same rank in the British Army. The first colonels
in America were appointed from Colonial militias main-
tained as reserves to the British Army in the American
colonies. Upon the outbreak of the American Revolu-
tionary War, colonial legislatures would grant commis-
sions to men to raise a regiment and serve as its colonels.
Thus, the first American colonels were usually respected
men with ties in local communities and active in politics.
Such was the origin of the phrase “soldier and statesman”.
With the post-war reduction of the US 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. The first recorded use of the eagle insignia was in1805 as this insignia was made official in uniform regu-
lations by 1810.
3 19th century
A colonel of the Confederate army wearing the three-star insignia
The rank of colonel was relatively rare in the early 19th
century, partly because the U.S. Army was very small,
A shoulder strap from an infantry colonel in the Union Army
A shoulder strap from an infantry colonel in the Union Army
and the rank was usually obtained only after long years
of service. During the War of 1812 many temporary
colonels were appointed, but these commissions were ei-
ther considered brevet ranks or the commissions were
canceled at the war’s conclusion.
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 regiments were state formations
and were quickly raised, the colonels in command were
known by the title “Colonel of Volunteers,” in contrast
to Regular Army colonels who held ranks from the “old
school” of the professional army before the Civil War.
During the Civil War, the Confederate Army maintained
a unique insignia for colonel, three stars worn on thecollar
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 South
had achieved independence.
After the Civil War, the rank of colonel again became
rare as the forces of the United States Army became ex-tremely small. However, many brevet colonels were ap-
pointed again during the Spanish American War, promi-
nent among them Theodore Roosevelt and David Grant
Colson.
4 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 whowould normally hold the rank of Captain in the peace-
time Regular Army were thrust into the rank of colonel
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3
A U.S. Marine colonel (center) during the Vietnam War.
Colonel Jeanette Sustad as Director of Women Marines.
during these two wars.
By the end of the Korean War, appointments to the
rank of colonel were standardized to be granted afterroughly 16–18 years of service in the military; how-
ever, temporary colonel appointments continued well into
the Vietnam War. The last temporary appointments to
the rank of colonel were in the late 1970s; since then,
all colonels have received permanent appointments upon
promotion. Currently, an officer typically reaches the
rank of colonel after around 21–23 years of military ser-
vice.
5 21st century
Modern American colonels usually command Army
infantry, artillery, armor, aviation or other types of
brigades, USAF groups or wings, and USMC regiments,
Marine Expeditionary Units or Marine Aircraft Groups.
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 advisor. An Air Forcecolonel typically commands a wing consisting of 1,000 to
4,000+ airmen with another colonel as the vice comman-
der and a Command Chief Master Sergeant as principal
senior NCO enlisted adviser. Some USAF colonels are
commanders of groups, which are the four major com-
ponents of wings. Colonels are also found as the chief of
staff at divisional level-(Army) or Numbered Air Force-
level staff agencies.
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 leftinsignia. 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-bird colonels or “O-6”, which is their pay grade,
in order to differentiate between colonels and lieutenant
colonels, since lieutenant colonels are also referred to and
addressed as simply “colonel”.
Most Army colonels receive postgraduate level senior
joint professional military education (JPME) at the Army
War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[1] The 2009 grad-
uating class was 336 including 198 army officers and the
rest divided among other military branches as well as for-
eign military leaders.[2] All USAF colonels will be grad-
uates of the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama
via in-residence at Maxwell AFB, or via non-resident
seminar at another USAF installation, or via correspon-
dence, 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.
6 Honorary colonels
Main article: Colonel (title)
Some people known as “colonels” are actually recipi-
ents of honorary colonel ranks from a state governor and
are not officers of the U.S. military. In the 19th cen-
tury the honorary colonels were military appointments
and they still are nominally appointed to governor’s staff,
but without military rights or duties. Famous honorary
colonels include Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC fame,
a Kentucky colonel; Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Pres-
ley's manager, who received the honor from a Louisiana
governor; and Edward M. House, known as ColonelHouse, a Texas honorary colonel and adviser to President
Woodrow Wilson.
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4 7 FAMOUS AMERICAN COLONELS
7 Famous American colonels
• Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin—Second person to
step on the moon.
• Charlie Beckwith—Founder of 1st Special Forces
Operational Detachment-Delta, the Army’s elitetop-secret special forces detachment.
• John Boyd —Air Force fighter pilot and military
strategist. Responsible for developing EM theory
(Energy-Maneuverability theory), a method of de-
termining the performance capabilities of a prospec-
tive fighter [plane] before production. Boyd also
developed and espoused the concept of the OODA
Loop, a decision making process now perceived as
highly relevant to strategic and tactical action in both
military and business operations. It favors agility
and maneuverability in making rapid decisions to
confound the opposition. Boyd also was one of the
chief architects of Operation Desert Storm, during
the Gulf War, transforming it from its initial concept
as a frontal assault into a maneuverability war.
• Anthony G. Brown—Lieutenant Governor of
Maryland (2007–present) and Commander of the
153rd Legal Support Organization in Pennsylvania;
Highest-ranking elected official in the nation to
have served a tour of duty in Iraq;[3] Co-Chair of
the Obama/Biden Presidential Transition Agency
Review Team for the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
• Alexander Butterfield—U.S. Air Force colonel who
became an aide to President Nixon and was later ap-
pointed administrator of the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration. Cooperated with prosecutors during
the Watergate scandal.
• Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain—Commander of
the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment at
Gettysburg.
• Jeff Cooper—WWII and Korean War veteran and
“The Father of Modern Shooting.”
• John Jackson Dickison- led the Confederate forces
which captured the USS Columbine, in the only
known incident in US history where a cavalry unit
sank an enemy gunboat.
• Federico Fernández Cavada- Union Army colonel
who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg and later
became the Commander-in-Chief of Cuban forces
during the Ten Years’ War.
• Wesley L. Fox—United States Marine Corps recip-
ient of the Medal of Honor.
• John Glenn—Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, and
U.S. Senator.
• Ambrosio José Gonzales—Cuban revolutionary
who fought for the US annexation of Cuba before
serving as a colonel in the CSA.
• David Hackworth—Served in Korea and Vietnam,
an author and military media consultant. Formerly
the highest decorated living soldier.
• Jack H. Jacobs—Served in Vietnam, recipient of the
Medal of Honor.
• Henry Knox—As colonel of the Continental Reg-
iment of Artillery in 1776, he brought guns from
Ft. Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights, forcing the
British out of Boston the next morning. Later,
President Washington made him Secretary of War
as part of the first Presidential Cabinet in Amer-
ica. He also served in Washington’s crossing of the
Delaware River for the Battle of Trenton.
• W. Patrick Lang Retired Special Forces officer,
Commentator on the Middle East. Intelligence Ex-
ecutive, and Author
• Robert E. Lee—Led the raid against John Brown
at Harpers Ferry, Commanding general of the
Confederate Army.
• Ed McMahon—United States Marine Corps aviator
and television personality.
• Martha McSally—United States Air Force first
American woman to fly in combat.
• Virgil R. Miller- Regimental commander of the
442d Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit
which was composed of "Nisei" (second generation
Americans of Japanese descent), during World War
II. He led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas
Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests
of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France.
• William Moultrie—Defended Ft. Sullivan (later to
be named Ft. Moultrie in honor of the colonel)
against British attack in 1776; his regiment was later
absorbed by the Continental Army, and he was pro-moted to brigadier general.
• William Wilson Quinn - Served under Patton dur-
ing WWII and received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze
Star, a Silver Star and became a Knight and Offi-
cer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor;
he also was the commanding officer of the 17th
Infantry during the Korean War, which he served
two years in. He participated in the Battle of the
Bulge and captured Hermann Goring and arrived at
Dachau the day after it was liberated. After the war
Quinn played a key role in forming the CIA.
• Felix Rodriguez — A former Central Intelligence
Agency officer infamous for his involvement in the
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5
Bay of Pigs Invasion, in the interrogation and execu-
tion of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, and his
ties to George H. W. Bush during the Iran-Contra
Affair.
• Theodore Roosevelt—1st United States Volunteer
Cavalry Regiment, recipient of the Medal of Honor,and later 26th President of the United States.
• Henry Rutgers—Revolutionary War colonel - phi-
lanthropist and namesake of Rutgers University.
• Robert Gould Shaw—Commander of the African
American Army Regiment, the 54th Massachusetts.
8 Notes
[1] The other United States uniformed services include the
United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and thecommissioned corps of the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration and United States Public
Health Service.
9 References
[1] http://www.carlisle.army.mil/USAWC/Registar/
policies.cfm
[2] http://www.carlisle.army.mil/graduation09.cfm#profile
[3] http://lostintransition.nationaljournal.com/2008/11/maryland-lt-gov-serious-conten.php
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6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
10.1 Text
• Colonel (United States) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_(United_States)?oldid=670540032 Contributors: COR-
NELIUSSEON, Jouster, Jengod, Dale Arnett, Jonel, Husnock, Necrothesp, Neutrality, Marine 69-71, Rich Farmbrough, Kwamikagami,
Alansohn, Mwalcoff, Woohookitty, Pol098, Twthmoses, Ketiltrout, Rjwilmsi, Rogerd, Sango123, Gurch, Nimur, Tedder, Sceptre, JDooley,
MaxVeers, Alakazam, SmackBot, Gelston, McGeddon, Sn00kie, Ordrestjean, GoodDay, OrphanBot, MeekSaffron, Addshore, Sslevine,
Vertigo Acid, Esrever, Neovu79, MrDolomite, Ggjacobsen, Eastlaw, Americasroof, Neelix, CurtisJohnson, Bangelo, Dynaflow, NDCom-
puGeek, Nick Number, QuiteUnusual, Qwerty Binary, Kinston eagle, Jrssr5, PatPeter, Valerius Tygart, FlieGerFaUstMe262, Sm8900, Uh-
nivek, Nono64, Manticore, Ali, FLJuJitsu, Spinach Dip, Plasticup, Greg.varhall, Ndunruh, AzureCitizen, Andy Marchbanks, Hugo999, Os-
halme~enwiki, Kilmer-san, Scottamurphy, Mary quite contrary, TreySponer, Ipankonin, Sf46, Fratrep, Kumioko, Jons63, ImageRemoval-
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RightCowLeftCoast, Igallards7, Dumfie, Pinethicket, Qbradlee82, Vrenator, Pilot850, Jeffrd10, ZéroBot, Sharpie14, Illegitimate Barris-
ter, Sunkyperu2005, Neil P. Quinn, Spicemix, ClueBot NG, Vjiced, Mark Arsten, Magicsunshine, Polmandc, Mogism, Ramos37, Momo-
morgie, GottaGoFast and Anonymous: 114
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ized from raster image Image:6 Star.png Original artist: Ipankonin• File:ConfedColonel.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/ConfedColonel.jpg License: PD-US Contributors:
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Released by the United States Center of Military History
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License: Public domain Contributors: SVG created from this image Original artist: Arthur E. DuBois, according to [1]
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Colonel Jeanette I. Sustad, Who’s Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps.Original artist: Official U.S. Marine Corps portrait
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