The colonel () in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, Marine Corps,

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

and

Space Force A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...

, is the most senior field-grade

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

. Colonel is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services. By law, an officer previously required at least 22 years of cumulative service and a minimum of three years as a lieutenant colonel before being promoted to colonel. With the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (NDAA 2019), military services now have the authorization to directly commission new officers up to the rank of colonel. The pay grade for colonel is O-6. When worn alone, the insignia of rank seen at right is worn centered on headgear and fatigue uniforms. When worn in pairs, the insignia is worn on the officer's left side while a mirror-image reverse version is worn on the right side, such that both of the eagles' heads face forward, to the wearer's front.

Insignia

The insignia for a colonel is a

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

which is a stylized representation of the eagle dominating the Great Seal of the United States (which is the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the United States). As on the Great Seal, the eagle has a U.S. shield superimposed on its chest and is holding an olive branch and bundle of arrows in its talons. However, in simplification of the Great Seal image, the insignia lacks the scroll in the eagle's mouth and the rosette above its head. On the Great Seal, the olive branch is always clutched in the eagle's right-side talons, while the bundle of arrows is always clutched in the left-side talons. The head of the eagle faces towards the olive branch, rather than the arrows, advocating peace rather than war. As a result, the head of the eagle always faces towards the viewer's left. Some colonel eagles from the 1920s to the 1950s faced the arrows, though this is no longer done. The full-sized colonel eagle is exactly two inches in diameter from the tips of each wing. However, when worn as a single insignia with no matching pair, such as on the

patrol cap A patrol hat, also known as a field cap, is a soft kepi constructed similarly to a baseball cap, with a stiff, rounded visor but featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required ...

, garrison cap/ flight cap, or the front of the Army, Air Force, or Space Force OCP uniform, there is a split between the services on which mirror image of the eagle should be worn. In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Space Force, the eagle is always worn with "the head of the eagle to the wearer's right," with the olive branch clutched in the eagle's right hand talons (see Department of the Army Pamphlet , paragraph 19-6 1]). In the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, NOAA, and the PHSCC, the eagle is worn with "the head facing forward" on the wearer's right side of the garrison cover (see Marine Corps Order P1020.34G, Uniform Regulation, paragraph 4005d . Since respective service's officer insignia is worn on the left side and the rank insignia is worn on the right hand side of the Marine, Navy, Coast Guard and NOAA garrison caps, the eagle is facing to the eagle's left with the olive branch clutched in the eagle's left hand talons, which is a mirror opposite to the wear of the single eagle for Army, Air Force, and Space Force officers.

History

Origins

The United States rank of colonel is a direct successor to the same rank in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

. The first colonels in the U.S. were appointed from Colonial

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s maintained as reserves to the British Army in the North American colonies. Upon the outbreak of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, colonial legislatures would grant commissions to men to raise a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

and serve as its colonel. Thus, the first U.S. colonels were usually respected men with ties in local communities and active in politics. With the post-war reduction of the U.S. Army, the rank of colonel disappeared, and was not re-introduced until 1802. The first insignia for the rank of colonel consisted of gold epaulettes worn on the blue uniform of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. The first recorded use of the eagle insignia was in 1805 as this insignia was made official in uniform regulations by 1810.

19th century

The rank of colonel was relatively rare in the early 19th century, partly because the U.S. Army was very small, and the rank was usually obtained only after long years of service. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

the Army grew rapidly and many colonels were appointed, but most of these colonels were discharged when their regiments were disbanded at the war's conclusion. A number of other colonels were appointed by brevet – an honorary promotion usually for distinguished service in combat. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

saw a large influx of colonels as the rank was commonly held in both the Confederate army and

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

by those who commanded a regiment. Since most U.S. regiments were state formations and were quickly raised, the colonels in command of the regiments were known by the title "Colonel of Volunteers," in contrast to Regular Army colonels who held permanent commissions. During the Civil War, the Confederate army maintained a unique insignia for colonel, which comprised three yellow stars worn on the collar of a uniform.

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...

wore this insignia due to his former rank in the United States Army and refused to wear the insignia of a Confederate general, stating that he would only accept permanent promotion when the Confederacy had defeated the U.S. and achieved its independence. After the end of the Civil War, the rank of colonel again became rare as the forces of the United States Army downsized and became extremely small. However, many U.S. colonels were appointed in the volunteers during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, prominent among them

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and David Grant Colson.

20th century

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

saw the largest numbers of colonels ever appointed in the U.S. military. This was mostly due to the temporary ranks of the National Army and the

Army of the United States The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army (the others being the Regular Army, the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard of the United States), but it has been inactive ...

, where those who would normally hold the rank of Captain in the peacetime Regular Army were thrust into the rank of colonel during these two wars. The Military Promotion System was revised and standardized for all the services in 1980 as a result of passage of the

Defense Officer Personnel Management Act The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) () is a United States federal law passed in 1980 that for the first time standardized officer personnel management across the United States Armed Forces. It established ceilings on the number o ...

21st century

Contemporary U.S. colonels usually command Army infantry, artillery, armor, aviation, special forces, or other types of

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

s or regiments as well as large installations; USMC

s, Marine Expeditionary Units, Marine Aircraft Groups, or installations such as Marine Corps Bases or Marine Corps Air Stations; USAF

groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

or wings; and USSF deltas. An Army colonel typically commands brigade-sized units (4,000 to 6,000 soldiers), with another colonel or a lieutenant colonel as deputy commander, a major as executive officer, and a command sergeant major as a senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) advisor. An Air Force colonel typically commands a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

consisting of 1,000 to 4,000+ airmen with another colonel as the vice commander, four other colonels as group commanders, which are the major components of wings, and a Chief Master Sergeant (i.e., a "Command Chief") as principal senior NCO enlisted adviser. Colonels are also found as the chief of staff at divisional level-(Army) or Numbered Air Force-level staff agencies. A Space Force colonel typically commands a delta, a single echelon of command which combines the

and group command echelons found in the Air Force. In the modern armed forces, the colonel's eagle is worn facing forward with head and beak pointing towards the wearer's front. Of all U.S. military commissioned officer rank, only the colonel's eagle has a distinct right and left insignia. All other commissioned officer rank insignia can be worn on either the right or left side. Colonels are sometimes referred to (but not addressed as) full colonels, bird colonels, or full bird colonels because lieutenant colonels are also referred to and addressed in correspondence as "colonel." Referring to an "O-6", a colonel's pay grade, also may differentiate colonels and lieutenant colonels, who have a pay grade of "O-5". Officers in pay grade O-6 visiting or on temporary assignment to other installations are also accorded "Distinguished Visitor" (DV) status for lodging and other appropriate protocol honors. When flying on military aircraft as either crew or passenger, they are also accorded "Code" status as a "Code 7" in accordance with DoD Flight Information Publication General Planning (DoD FLIP GP). All Army colonels have attended or otherwise completed via seminar or correspondence a war college or a senior staff college equivalent to study joint warfare and war itself. Most Army colonels receive postgraduate level senior joint professional military education (JPME) at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania prior to promotion. The 2009 graduating class was 336 including 198 army officers and the rest divided among other military branches, domestic inter-agency representatives and other foreign military leaders. A high concentration of USAF and USSF colonels graduate from the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama via in-residence at Maxwell AFB, while all other USAF colonels will have completed the Air War College via a year-long non-resident seminar program paralleling the in-residence program or the AWC correspondence course program, or a comparable JPME program via the National Defense University (i.e.,

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Col ...

or Industrial College of the Armed Forces) or the program of another service (i.e., Army War College, College of Naval Warfare at the Naval War College, etc. The AWC program will include participation by officers from various other branches of the U.S. armed forces and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

and Allied nations. Completion of the Air War College or an equivalent program is a ''de facto'' requirement for promotion to colonel in the USAF and USSF, to include the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commi ...

and the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

. Marine colonels may graduate from the Marine Corps War College or, like all other branches, may receive credit via non-resident attendance at another installation, via correspondence, or will be graduates of an equivalent senior JPME program sponsored by the National Defense University or one of the other U.S. military services.

Honorary colonels

Some people known as "colonels" are actually recipients of honorary colonel ranks from a state governor and are not officers of the U.S. military. In the 19th century, the honorary colonels were military appointments and they still are nominally appointed to a governor's staff, but without military rights or duties. Famous honorary colonels include Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC fame, a

Kentucky colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...

; Colonel Tom Parker,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's manager, who received the honor from a

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

governor; and Edward M. House, known as Colonel House, a Texas honorary colonel and adviser to President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

Famous colonels

; ;Famous U.S. Army colonels * Charlie Beckwith – Founder of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, the Army's elite top-secret special forces detachment. * Deborah L. Birx – American physician and diplomat who served under four Presidential Administrations in various public health roles, including the HIV/AIDS task force and leading the 2020 Coronavirus Task Force. * Anthony Brown – Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2007–2015) and Commander of the 153rd Legal Support Organization in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

; formerly the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. to have served a tour of duty in the Iraq War; Co-chair of the Obama/Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the Department of Veterans Affairs. * Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain – Union Army officer and commander of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg. *

David Hackworth David Haskell Hackworth (November 11, 1930 – May 4, 2005), also known as Hack, was a prominent military journalist and a famous former United States Army colonel who was decorated in both the Korean War and Vietnam War. Hackworth is known f ...

– Served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, an author and military media consultant. Formerly the highest decorated living soldier. * Jack H. Jacobs –

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient for his actions during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. *

Ernest Lester Jones Colonel Ernest Lester Jones (April 14, 1876 – April 9, 1929) was born in East Orange, New Jersey and was commissioned a hydrographic and geodetic engineer. In addition to extended study abroad, he held an A. B. degree and an honorary A. M. degre ...

– First director of the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

– Led the raid against John Brown at Harpers Ferry. During the American Civil War he joined the Confederacy and became the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States. *

W. Patrick Lang Walter Patrick "Pat" Lang, Jr. (born May 31, 1940) is a commentator on the Middle East, a retired US Army officer and private intelligence analyst, and an author. After leaving uniformed military service as a colonel, he held high-level posts i ...

Retired Special Forces officer, commentator on the Middle East. intelligence executive, and author * Virgil R. Miller – Regimental commander of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit which was composed of " Nisei" (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during

. He led the 442nd in its rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division, in the forests of the Vosges Mountains in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. *

William Wilson Quinn Lieutenant General William Wilson "Buffalo Bill" Quinn (November 1, 1907 – September 11, 2000) was a United States Army officer, who served in intelligence during World War II. Born in Crisfield, Somerset, Maryland and a 1933 graduate of West ...

– Served under Patton during World War II and received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Silver Star and became a Knight and Officer of the

National Order of the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

; he also was the commanding officer of the 17th Infantry during the Korean War. He participated in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

, captured Hermann Göring and arrived at Dachau the day after it was liberated. After the war Quinn played a key role in forming the CIA. *

– 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, recipient of the

, and 26th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

. * Robert Gould Shaw – Union Army officer and commander of the

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Army Regiment, the

54th Massachusetts The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...

. *

James L. Stone James Lamar Stone (December 27, 1922 – November 9, 2012) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Korean War. He was awarded the medal for his co ...

– Recipient of the highest U.S. military decoration—the

—for his actions in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. * Blake R. Van Leer – United States Army officer, served in both

and

, awarded the Croix de Guerre and president of Georgia Tech. ;Famous USAF colonels * Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin – USAF Command Pilot-Astronaut; during the 1969

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

mission he became the second person to step on the Moon. * John Boyd – Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist, known for developing EM theory ( Energy-Maneuverability theory), espousing the OODA Loop, and as one of the chief architects of

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. * Alexander Butterfield – U.S. Air Force colonel who became an aide to President Nixon and was later appointed administrator of the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

. Cooperated with prosecutors during the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...

. *

Nicole Malachowski Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski (born 26 September 1974) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. She ...

– U.S. Air Force colonel who became the first woman pilot of the

United States Air Force Thunderbirds The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing, and are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Created in 1953, the USAF ...

. * Martha McSally –

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

Command Pilot in the A-10 Thunderbolt II, first U.S. woman to fly in combat. Later a U.S. congresswoman and U.S. Senator from Arizona. * Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen – Started "Operation Little Vittles" in July 1948 (officially from September 22, 1948, to May 13, 1949) to drop candy to children in Berlin during the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, ro ...

earning him the nickname "The Candy Bomber". ;Famous USMC colonels *

Wesley L. Fox Wesley Lee Fox (September 30, 1931 – November 24, 2017) was a highly decorated United States Marine Corps colonel with 43 years of service. Fox was a combat veteran – receiving the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietna ...

–

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

recipient of the

. * John Glenn – Marine Corps aviator, served in the Korean War, astronaut and U.S. Senator. * Ed McMahon –

aviator and television personality. * Chesty Puller – World War II and Korean War veteran; later promoted up to lieutenant general. *

John Lucian Smith John Lucian Smith (December 26, 1914 – June 9, 1972) was an American Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Corps flying ace who, as commanding officer of VMF-223, shot down 19 Japanese planes in World War II and led his squadron to destroy a t ...

– Commander of VMF-223 during Battle of Guadalcanal, flying ace with 19 victories and Medal of Honor recipient ;Famous Continental Army colonels *

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following th ...

– As colonel of the Continental Regiment of Artillery in 1776, he brought guns from Fort Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights, forcing the British out of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

the next morning. Later,

President Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of t ...

made him Secretary of War as part of the first Presidential Cabinet in the U.S. He also served in Washington's crossing of the Delaware River for the Battle of Trenton. * William Moultrie – Defended Fort Sullivan (later to be named Fort Moultrie in honor of the colonel) against British attack in 1776; his

was later absorbed by the

, and he was promoted to

. * Henry Rutgers – philanthropist and namesake of

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. ;Famous Confederate colonels *

Lloyd J. Beall Colonel Lloyd James Beall (October 19, 1808November 10, 1887) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Marine Corps who served as the Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps from May 23, 1861, to April 9, 1865. Early life and ca ...

– former army officer who served as Colonel-Commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps. * John Jackson Dickison – led the Confederate forces which captured , in the only known incident in North American history where a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat. *

Ambrosio José Gonzales Ambrosio José Gonzales (October 3, 1818 – July 31, 1893) was a Cuban revolutionary general who became a colonel in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Gonzales, as a revolutionary, wanted the United States to annex Cuba. Duri ...

– Cuban revolutionary who advocated for the U.S. annexation of Cuba before serving in the Confederacy. * John S. Mosby – Confederate irregular cavalry leader who was known for his innovation of partisan tactics and unconventional warfare.

Notes

References

External links

* {{clear Military ranks of the United States Army Officer ranks of the United States Air Force Officer ranks of the United States Space Force Military ranks of the United States Marine Corps