Five-Star Generals and Admirals of the United States
Five-Star Generals and Admirals of the United States
George Washington holds the highest rank in U.S. military history, “General of the Armies of the United States,” (note the plural use of “armies”) which was awarded posthumously. General John “Black Jack” Pershing was awarded the title “General of the Armies of the United States,” but wore only four stars. By an act of Congress (Joint Resolution of Congress, Public Law 94-479) in 1976, George Washington, was said to “have precedence over all other grades of the Army, past and present.”
4-Star Generals and Admirals
General Joseph Stillwell (Army), General Carl Spaatz (Air Force), General George S. Patton (Army), Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (Navy), Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (Navy), General Mathew B. Ridgway (Army), General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (Air Force), General Curtis E. LeMay (Air Force), Admiral Hyman Rickover (Navy), General William Westmoreland (Army), Admiral John S. McCain Jr. (Navy), General Creighton W. Abrams Jr. (Army), General Alexander Haig (Army), General Norman Schwartzkopf (Army), General Colin Powell (Army), General Wesley Clark (Army), General Tommy Franks (Army), General David H. Petraeus (Army), General Stanley McChrystal (Army), General Ann Dunwoody (Army-1st Female 4-star General), General Peter Chiarelli (Army), General James Mattis (Marine Corps-Appointed by Donald Trump to be Secretary of Defense), General John F. Kelly (Marines), General Maryanne Miller (Air Force), General Mark A. Milley (Army)
The Army’s Five-Star Generals:
General George C. Marshall
General Douglas MacArthur
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
General Omar N. Bradley
The Navy’s Five-Star Fleet Admirals:
Admiral William D. Leahy
Admiral Ernest J. King
Admiral Chester Nimitz
Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey
The Air Force Five-Star General:
General Henry “Hap” Arnold –Note: General Arnold actually was awarded this rank twice. In 1944, he received his fifth star while the air force was still part of the Army. It was then known as the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF). After the AAF separated from the Army in 1947 and was renamed the United States Air Force, Arnold became the new service’s only five-star General of the Air Force.
Sources and Links Five-Star Generals and Admirals of the United States:
Military District of Washington Fact Sheet —Information from the Military District of Washington
.U.S. Total Army Personnel Command—Information from the Army Personnel Office on General’s ranks.
Ann E. Dunwoody —Wikipedia article on the Army’s first four-star general
Dunwoody becomes first female four-star general—USA Today, Nov. 14, 2008
4-star general, 5-star grace—CNN, Feb. 13, 2011
5-Star Generals and Admirals-Arlington National Cemetary website
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