Well, the highest possible rank in the US Army is "General of the Armies of the United States," a rank considered in the 1950s for retired (but still living) five-star General Douglas MacArthur. Had the idea gone through, MacArthur would've received a sixth star! For various complications, MacArthur declined the promotion, and the proposal was scuttled.
But, in the 1970s, the proposal was revived - not for MacArthur (who died in the 1960s), but for a general who died at the close of the 1700s! You guessed it...
George Washington
During the American Revolution, Washington was titled "General and Commander in Chief" and held the equivalent rank of a Major General (who wears two stars). When the Quasi-War with France erupted, President John Adams named Washington as the commander of a newly formed American army - to protect the nation in case of a French invasion (which never came). Washington was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General (a three-star position).
Washington died in 1799, but no one outranked him, until World War I. In that conflict, John J. Pershing was given a fourth star. And in World War II, several leaders were given a fifth star - including Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, and George Marshall.
In the 1970s, Congress appropriately moved to remedy this situation. No one, they reasoned (correctly - in my opinion) should ever outrank America's FIRST general. So, they created the position of "General of the Armies of the United States" - a six star general rank. And they posthumously promoted George Washington to the position.
To this day, George Washington is the only person in US history to ever hold this rank. And he, of course, only holds it in death.
Will we ever have a LIVING six-star general? Probably not. And if we do, will they give George Washington a seventh star? :-)
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6 comments:
Interesting article! I respect General Washington, but I disagree with the idea that we need to conduct "post-mortem promotion". If he was to ever fall out of favor, would we take his rank away?
Sir! There was one other General of the Armies, General John "Black Jack" Pershing! See:
http://www.history.army.mil/faq/FAQ-5star.htm
I think Pershing got it too, as Roger said above. I don't think anyone deserves to be higher than Washington......it's unfortunate that he was passed by because of the expansion to a 5-star general. At least this way no one will every pass him.
General of the Armies John J. Pershing was indeed the only person to be promoted to the "6 Star General" grade while alive. He in fact only wore a modified 4 star grade which was gold. He was senior to the army grade "General of the Army" which is a 5 Star grade. There is no technical insignia for his grade. He was allowed to produce his own design for his insignia but he went with a modest change to an existent grade. Gen Pershing didn't care about subtleties of grade insignia or awards...he cared about productivity, discipline, and mission success.
There is a difference between "General of the Armies of the United States" (Washington) and General of the Armies (Pershing), in rank title, anyway. Pershing was awarded the rank of General of the Armies so that he would not be subservient to any European General Officer during "The Great War".
The title of "Six-Star General" is a rare and unofficial rank that has only been considered in U.S. military history under extraordinary circumstances. It was posthumously proposed for General George Washington in 1976 to honor his role as the nation's first and most distinguished military leader, retroactively elevating him above the five-star generals of World War II. The rank is largely symbolic, acknowledging Washington's unparalleled contributions to the founding and defense of the United States. It remains a unique distinction with no active equivalent in modern military hierarchy.
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