Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

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Please see "Lieutenant Colonel" for other countries which use this rank

Lieutenant Colonel is a rank of the United States armed forces which is currently used by the United States Army, United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps. The United States Navy equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel is the rank of Commander. The insignia for a Lieutenant Colonel is a silver oak leaf, although there are subtle design differences between the Army/Air Force version and the insignia used by the Marine Corps.

Contents 1 History 2 Modern usage 3 Terminology 4 Famous American Lieutenant Colonels

[edit] History

The rank of Lieutenant Colonel was first created during the American Revolutionary War when the position was held by aides to Regiment Colonels, and was sometimes known as "Lieutenant to the Colonel". The rank of Lieutenant Colonel had existed in the British Army since at least the 16th century.

During the 19th century, Lieutenant Colonel was often a terminal rank for many officers, since the rank of "full Colonel" was considered extremely prestigious reserved only for the most successful of officers. Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, the rank of Lieutenant Colonel became much more common and was used as a "stepping stone" for officers who commanded small regiments or battalions and were expected, by default, to be promoted to full Colonel once the manpower of a regiment grew in strength. Such was the case of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who commanded a Maine Regiment as both a Lieutenant Colonel and later as a Colonel.

After the Civil War ended, those officers remaining in the United States armed forces found Lieutenant Colonel to again be a permanent terminal rank while many Lieutenant Colonels were raised to higher positions in a brevet status. Such was the case with George Armstrong Custer who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army but held the brevet rank of Major General.

The 20th century saw Lieutenant Colonel in its present day status although, during the 1930s, many officers again found the rank to be terminal as the rank of Colonel was reserved for only a select few officers. Such was not the case during World War II, when Lieutenant Colonel became one of the most commonly held officer ranks in the Army of the United States.

[edit] Modern usage

In the U.S. Army, a Lieutenant Colonel typically commands a battalion-sized unit (300 to 1,000 soldiers), with a Sergeant Major as principal non-commissioned officer assistant. A Lieutenant Colonel may also serve as a brigade or task force Executive Officer.

The rank of Lieutenant Colonel is usually gained in the 21st century U.S. military after around 18 years of service as an officer. As most officers are eligible to retire after 20 years active service, it is the most common rank at which career officers retire.

[edit] Terminology

While written as "Lt. Colonel" in orders and signature blocks, as a courtesy, Lieutenant Colonels are addressed as "Colonel" verbally and in the salutation of correspondence. The US Army (but not the Air Force) uses the three letter abbreviation LTC.

Irreverent slang terms for the rank in the US military are "Light Colonel" and "Bottlecap Colonel", the latter coming from the old fashioned metal crimped caps of beer and soda bottles which resemble the silver oak leaf insignia.

[edit] Famous American Lieutenant Colonels

• Robert G. Cole (US Army)
• Jay Fawcett (US Air Force)
• Gus Grissom (US Air Force)
• Barry Allan Johnson (US Army)
• Oliver North (US Marines)
• Ronald Speirs (US Army)
• Earl Woods (US Army)
• Ralph Peters (US Army)

U.S. commissioned officer ranks
	Student Officer	O-1	O-2	O-3	O-4	O-5	O-6	O-7	O-8	O-9	O-10	O-11 (wartime only)	Special Grade
United States Navy:	MIDN/OC	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RDML	RADM	VADM	ADM	FADM	Admiral of the Navy
United States Marine Corps:	Midn	2ndLt	1stLt	Capt	Maj	LtCol	Col	BGen	MajGen	LtGen	Gen	(no equivalent)	(no equivalent)
United States Army:	CDT/OC	2LT	1LT	CPT	MAJ	LTC	COL	BG	MG	LTG	GEN	General of the Army	General of the Armies
United States Air Force:	Cadet	2nd Lt	1st Lt	Capt	Maj	Lt Col	Col	Brig Gen	Maj Gen	Lt Gen	Gen	General of the Air Force	(no equivalent)
United States Coast Guard:	CDT	ENS	LTJG	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RDML	RADM	VADM	ADM	(no equivalent)	(no equivalent)