Lieutenant colonel (United States)
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Lieutenant colonel | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Service branch | |
Abbreviation | US Army: LTC USMC: LtCol USAF: Lt Col |
Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
NATO rank code | OF-4 |
Non-NATO rank | O-5 |
Next higher rank | Colonel |
Next lower rank | Major |
Equivalent ranks |
In the
The
Promotion to lieutenant colonel is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the
Orthography
The U.S. Army uses the three letter abbreviation "LTC," while the Marine Corps and Air Force use the abbreviations of "LtCol" and "Lt Col" (note the space), respectively. These abbreviation formats are also outlined in The Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing[1] and in Air Force Handbook 33-337 (AFH 33-337), The Tongue and Quill.[2]
The
Slang terms for the rank historically used by the U.S. military include "light colonel", "short colonel", "light bird", "half colonel", "walking colonel", "bottlecap colonel" (referring to the silver oak leaf insignia), and "telephone colonel" (from self-reference as "colonel" when using a telephone).[citation needed]
History
The rank of
In British practice, regiments were commanded by their lieutenant colonels, as the colonel was a titular position[8] (with the incumbent absent from the regiment serving as a senior staff officer, a general officer, or as a member of the nobility). Since the British colonel was not a "combat" officer, beginning in May 1778 to simplify prisoner-of-war exchanges, American regiments began to eliminate colonels by attrition and replace them with lieutenant colonel commandant. The conversion was never completely effected and some regiments remained commanded by colonels throughout the war.[9] From 1784 until 1791, there was only one lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army (Josiah Harmar), who acted as the army's commanding officer.
In the Continental Army
During the 19th century, lieutenant colonel was often a terminal rank for many officers, since the full rank "colonel" was considered extremely prestigious and reserved only for the most successful officers. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, the rank of lieutenant colonel became much more common and was used as a "stepping stone" for officers who commanded small
After the Civil War ended, those officers remaining in the military found lieutenant colonel to again be a terminal rank, although many lieutenant colonels were raised to higher positions in a
The 20th century saw lieutenant colonel in its present-day status although, during the 1930s, many officers again found the rank to be terminal as the rank of colonel was reserved for only a select few officers.
Modern usage
In the
In the United States Air Force, a lieutenant colonel is generally a squadron commander in the operations group, mission support group, maintenance group, or squadron commander or division chief in a medical group. The lieutenant colonel also may serve as a Director of Operations (DO) in a squadron in the operations group before assuming command of his or her own squadron (this is common for rated officers in flying units), or as a deputy commander of a squadron in the maintenance, mission-support, or medical group. Lieutenant colonels may serve also on general staff and may be the heads of some wing staff departments. Air Force lieutenant colonels in the acquisition career fields can be selected to serve as "Materiel Leaders" (Program Managers or Branch Chiefs), similar to how other Air Force lieutenant colonels are selected to serve as squadron commanders. Senior lieutenant colonels occasionally serve as group commanders, most commonly in units of the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard.
In U.S. Army
Insignia
-
U.S. Army rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel.
-
U.S. Marine Corps rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel.
-
U.S. Air Force rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel.
-
U.S. Space Force rank insignia of a lieutenant colonel.
Notable American lieutenant colonels
- Allen Allensworth (U.S. Army)
- Eben Bartlett (U.S. Army), member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Aaron Burr (Continental Army)[13]
- Benjamin Busch (U.S. Marine Corps), TV and film actor[14]
- James Pratt Carter (U.S. Army)
- Ernest Childers (U.S. Army), Medal of Honor recipient[15]
- Jerry Coleman (U.S. Marine Corps)
- Robert G. Cole (U.S. Army), Medal of Honor recipient
- David P. Cooley (U.S. Air Force)
- Philip Corso(U.S. Army)
- Bruce P. "Snake" Crandall (U.S. Army), Medal of Honor recipient for his actions at Ia Drang.
- George Armstrong Custer (U.S. Army)
- James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle (U.S. Air Force), Medal of Honor recipient for his raid on Tokyo
- Tammy Duckworth (U.S. Army), U.S. Senator (D-Illinois)
- Joni Ernst (Iowa Army National Guard), U.S. Senator (R-Iowa)
- William Montague Ferry Jr. (U.S. Army)
- Rick Francona (U.S. Air Force)
- John C. Fremont(U.S. Army)
- Tulsi Gabbard (U.S. Army), former U.S. Representative from Hawaii.
- Gregory D. Gadson (U.S. Army)
- Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom (U.S. Air Force)
- Dave Grossman (U.S. Army), professor of psychology and military science, author, and speaker
- David "Bull" Gurfein (U.S. Marine Corps)
- Iceal Hambleton (U.S. Air Force)
- Alexander Hamilton (Continental Army)
- Anthony B. Herbert(U.S. Army)
- Christopher B. Howard (U.S. Air Force)
- Lisa Jaster (U.S. Army), first female USAR officer to become a Ranger School graduate.
- Mary C. Kitchens (U.S. Army), three tour military combatant USAR G5.
- Shawna R. Kimbrell(U.S. Air Force), the first female African-American fighter pilot
- Gus Kohntopp(U.S. Air National Guard)
- John Laurens (Continental Army)
- Robert W. McAlister, MD (U.S. Army), 947th Forward Surgical Team Commanding Officer, Operation Enduring Freedom
- Bruce R. McConkie (U.S. Army), apostle, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Bob McDonnell (U.S. Army), former Republican Attorney General and Governor of Virginia.
- Amy McGrath (U.S. Marine Corps), political candidate, first female pilot to fly the F/A-18 on a combat mission
- Hal Moore (U.S. Army), famous for his actions at Ia Drang
- Michael Mori (U.S. Marine Corps), lawyer and military judge (retired), known for representing David Hicks
- Dick Muri (U.S. Air Force)
- Oliver North (U.S. Marine Corps)
- Ellison S. Onizuka(U.S. Air Force)
- Ralph Peters (U.S. Army)
- Rob Riggle (U.S. Marine Corps)
- William R. Rowley (U.S. Army)
- Stuart Scheller(U.S. Marine Corps)
- Richard Scheuring (U.S. Army)
- Francis R. Scobee(U.S. Air Force)
- John Shimkus (U.S. Army), U.S. Representative from Illinois
- Ronald Speirs (U.S. Army)
- Michael Strobl (U.S. Marine Corps)
- Tench Tilghman (Continental Army)
- William Travis(Texas Militia)
- Matt Urban (U.S. Army)
- John Paul Vann (U.S. Army)
- Alexander Vindman (U.S. Army)
- Allen West (U.S. Army), former U.S. Representative from Florida
- Ed White (U.S. Air Force)
- Earl Woods (U.S. Army)
- Richard Dean Callahan (U.S. Marine Corps)
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-59114-822-7.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Preliminary-cloth.indd" (PDF). Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Jack (21 May 2009). "AP Style Book". Apstylebook.blogspot.com. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. p. 13). Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "History of the lieutenant colonel rank". usmilitary.about.com. 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. p. 13 ff.). Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. p. 48). Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. pp. 127–128 ff.). Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. pp. 128 & 145). Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "Lieutenant-Colonel And Brevet Major-General George A. Custer, U.S.A". All-biographies.com. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Brevet Rank in the Civil War". Civilwarhome.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Aaron Burr". American Battlefield Trust.
- ^ "Benjamin Busch". HarperCollins Speakers Bureau.
- ^ "Childers Ernest "Chief"". www.uswarmemorials.org.