USAF Major vs LTCOL Rank Insignia

[Cougar]

Can someone please explain to me why a Major in the US Armed forces has a Gold Leaf, and a LTCOL has silver? Why not the other way round as would seem logical?

Been bugging me for years.

[whowhenwhy]

gold maple leaf for major, silver star for Lt Col I believe!

[Archimedes]

A star would make the officer a Brigadier-General wouldn't it(hence one-star)? Since I sit next to a US Lt Col as part of the day job at the plc (and will be dong so in 30 minutes) I'll see if he knows the answer!

Or, if you can\'t wait 30 minutes, look here! (http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/armyorank/blltcmaj.htm)

[46Driver]

gold oak leaf for major / lcdr
silver oak leaf for LtCol / CDR

single gold bar for 2nd Lt/ Ens
single silver bar for 1st Lt / LtJg

[Green Meat]

US Army Handbook of WW2 quotes "Maj One gold oak leaf; Lt-Col One Silver oak leaf. ... Surprisingly silver always ranked above gold, and all badges (unless indicated otherwise) were in silver." From memory of a small collection of memorabilia, WW2 Major Oak Leaf insignia weren't gold but brass. Wartime expediency I now deduce after reading Archimedes' fascinating link.

[Archimedes]

Didn't get to the ask the question, in fact, but I think the link covers the details.

[Ropey Pilot]

Remember someone telling me that the US officer rank insignia increased rank as you increased altitude!:

Gold Bar = 2Lt (Metal/Ore found on ground)
Silver Bar = Lt
2 Silver bars = Capt

Gold Leaf (on tree) = Maj
Silver leaf (on Tree) = Lt Col

Bird (On top of tree) = Col

Star (In Sky) = Brig Gen
More stars = bigger general

Always did wonder why silver outranked gold though. But according to that link they still have it wrong (but not for the more obvious value of the metal reason). It states that Lt Cols rank was the same colour as the border, so when all the borders were changed to become gold surely all Lt Cols rank should have become gold! :\

[MobiusTrip]

....and the blue oak leaf often worn on flt suit (for LTC that is).

MT

[MReyn24050]

Perhaps it was not gold originally but brass!

Just a thought.

[Jacks Down]

What we have found is the only rank insignia which comes even close to confusing outsiders as much as our 'barcodes and job description' system!

[Green Meat]

Innocent enquiry from member of the public: "Very smart uniform, but couldn't they do anything about that obvious seam around the cuff?"...

[MacGriffyn]

It has to do with the border of the insignia. It used to be that a LTC rank was the same color as the border of the epaulettes. Infantry was silver, and everything else was gold...except artillery, but they're wierd anyway. MAJ rank was the opposite...if the border was silver, the rank was gold. If the border was gold, it was silver.

When they standardized everything in 18...something, the LTC stayed silver, while the major went to gold.

If you think that's confusing, try this: In the US, a 2 star General is a Major General, while a 3 star General is a Lieutanant General. HA HAA. See if you can figure that one out. :}

Oh...MT...the blue leaf thing...I forgot.

In the US military, on any type of duty uniform, BDU, DCU, or flight suits, military personnel wear a subdued rank. The rank that is supposed to be gold will be a dark gold. That which is supposed to be silver will be black. Enlisted army rank is black (there is no silver rank in the army enlisted) and worn on their collars. Air Force enlisted wear their regular rank on their sleaves.

NOW...in the USAF, the color black is very often times changed slightly in favor of a blue color, as we are the Air Force, and the USAF color is blue. In fact, USAF BDU\'s are often blue where in the Army they are black. It\'s just because the AF is strange that way. So when I was a 1LT, I wore a blue bar, and as a CPT, I had 2 blue bars.

I hope that clears up the blue rank...thing.

BDU: Battle Dress Uniform- Otherwise knows as that camouflage uniform that US personnel wear every freaking day.
DCU: Desert Combat Uniform- Otherwise known as that desert camouflage uniform worn when we are in the desert. :}

[teeteringhead]

MacGriffyn In the US, a 2 star General is a Major General, while a 3 star General is a Lieutenant General. Same here in the UK too.

Reason is, historically the Major General was a Sergeant Major General, hence junior to a Lt Gen.

Used to be a rank of Captain General too, now only preserved in the honorary head of the Royal Marines, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, who is known as the Captain General of the RM.

sigh.............:( I really must get out more....

[Zoom]

And why is it that in the RAF/RN promotion to sqn ldr/lt cdr merits the addition of only a skinny tripe (scraper) whereas the other officer promotions (except plt off/fg off) get a full stripe's worth?

[Flarkey]

teeteringhead...


HM The Queen is the Captain General of the Royal Artillery.



/must get out more too

[SASless]

....actually I always heard it started way back in the Garden of Eden.....where we covered our pee-ricks with leaves....or something along that line.:ok:

[MacGriffyn]

SAS,

Man, I used to hear that back when I first got started. It's a US military...uh...thing that the servicemen do to mess with officers. As I heard it:

-2LT- A gold bar; you are valuable, and can be molded easily. (Usually under the hammer of your crew chief)
-1LT- A silver bar; you have been made stronger.
-CPT- Two silver bars; Your value and strength have increased.

Then we jump to:

-COL- A silver eagle; You watch over all from above.
-GEN- Silver stars (however many); You are highest in the sky.

And then people ask: "What about the Majors and Light Colonels?"

To which we respond: "Ah, that goes back to the Garden of Eden...when we would cover our pr**ks and c*nts with leaves." :}

[Gingerbread Man]

Is there any historical reason why the RAF officer ranks are similar to the RN officer ranks, but the RAF NCO ranks are similar to the Army's? Or were they just averaging?

Ginge :cool: