February 23, 2008
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Updated February 23, 2008
Please send me mail.
I read today that Jimmy Carter had an issue with the fact that General George Washington was considered a five-star general, which matched many other officers since.
So, I pondered what indeed was a five-star general. I wanted to know who held that rank.
The term 5-star general wasn't really utiziled back in Washington's day. In fact, the term "General of the Armies" wasn't recognized until Congress enacted the grade in 1866 to recognize Lt. General U.S. Grant. It was the highest grade a soldier could have. After Grant, the grade of "General of the Army" went to William T. Sherman, then to Philip Sheridan. In 1866, the insignia for this grade was to be four stars. In 1872, the insignia changed to two silver stars. Sherman lost two stars because of that. Sheridan had the two silver stars.
Enter General John J. Pershing of World War I fame. In 1919 he was promoted with the grade of "General of the Armies". However, due to no changes in the regulations of insignia, he still wore only four stars. Pershing was never a five-star general, even though he held the highest grade.
It wasn't until World War II, December 14, 1944, that Army regulations held that the "General of the Army" would wear 5 stars.
In fact, in just one week's time in the middle December 1944, four people were bestowed the rank of 5-star general: George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Henry H. Arnold. In September, 1950, Omar N. Bradley was awarded the rank of 5-star general. All were titled "General of the Army"
To make it confusing, only two people in our history have been labeled, "General of the Armies of the United States". General John J. Pershing was awarded this grade in 1919 for his service. No other general held that title until 1976, when President Ford posthumously appointed George Washington "General of the Armies of the United States" and specified that he would rank first among all officers of the Army, past and present.
Are you totally confused yet? Good, so am I.
Carter thought that the Father of Our Country should stand out, all by himself, and not be compared to anyone else in our history. General George Washington, as a result, is now in our history books as the only six-star general.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, at the time of his administration, was the only 5-star general to become president, and, therefore could have been determined the highest ranking person ever to become president, because of the numerous Army changes of insignia and titles. After President Ford, in 1976, enacted an order to posthumously label Washington as "General of the Armies" and Carter ordering that Washington's insignia be six stars, Eisenhower is no longer the highest ranking soldier to hold the highest office of the land.
I wonder what the World War II hero and later Supreme Commander of NATO would say of Carter's action, some ten years after his death. Would Ike agree? Should there be no comparison or likeness in military ranking with the Father of Our Country? In Ike's two terms as President of the United STates, he saw the addition of two states into the Union, and saw the conclusion of the Korean War.
Honestly, I beleive he and his wife Mamie are resting peacefully in their graves in Abilene, Kansas.
Much of this information came from the U.S. Army Center of Military History at www.history.army.mil
