Army Rank Identification
Members of the United States Army wear a variety of insignia so everyone can quickly identify the rank of any individual, as well as the authority and responsibility that comes with that rank.
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Enlisted
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Privates, the lowest ranks, wear a single chevron on their uniforms. A chevron looks like an arrow that is pointing upward. A private first class wears a chevron with a rocker attached to the bottom. Rockers look like the letter U. Specialists wear a unique patch with an eagle on it.
Noncommissioned Officers
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Corporals wear two chevrons, while sergeants wear three. Staff sergeants, sergeants first class, and master sergeants add on one, two, and three rockers, respectively. The highest-ranking sergeants wear a symbol in the middle space between all the chevrons and rockers. These include first sergeants (diamond), sergeants major (star), command sergeants major (laurels) and the sergeant major of the Army (eagle).
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Warrant Officers
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Warrant officers wear a silver metal bar, with a warrant officer 1 wearing a single black square in the middle of the bar. Chief warrant officers 2 through 4 wear the number of squares matching their rank, while a chief warrant officer 5 wears a bar with a black line through it.
Commissioned Officers
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A first lieutenant wears a gold vertical bar, while a second lieutenant wears a silver one. Captains wear two bars that are attached. Majors wear a gold oak leaf cluster, and lieutenant colonels wear a silver one. Full colonels wear an eagle.
Generals
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Generals wear one to five stars, representing the ranks of brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general and general of the Army, respectively.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of US Army Africa
