Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
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- Please see "Lieutenant Colonel" for other countries which use this rank
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Lieutenant Colonel is a rank of the United States armed forces which is currently used by the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States National Guard. The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel is the rank of Commander. The insignia for a Lieutenant Colonel is a silver oak leaf, although there are subtle design differences between the Army/Air Force version and the insignia used by the Marine Corps.
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[edit] History
The rank of Lieutenant Colonel was first created during the American Revolutionary War when the position was held by aides to Regiment Colonels, and was sometimes known as "Lieutenant to the Colonel". The rank of Lieutenant Colonel had existed in the British Army since at least the 16th century.
During the 19th century, Lieutenant Colonel was often a terminal rank for many officers, since the rank of "full Colonel" was considered extremely prestigious reserved only for the most successful of officers. Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, the rank of Lieutenant Colonel became much more common and was used as a "stepping stone" for officers who commanded small regiments or battalions and were expected, by default, to be promoted to full Colonel once the manpower of a regiment grew in strength. Such was the case of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who commanded a Maine Regiment as both a Lieutenant Colonel and later as a Colonel.
After the Civil War ended, those officers remaining in the United States armed forces found Lieutenant Colonel to again be a permanent terminal rank while many Lieutenant Colonels were raised to higher positions in a brevet status. Such was the case with George Armstrong Custer who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army but held the brevet rank of Major General.
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. Such was not the case during World War II, when Lieutenant Colonel became one of the most commonly held officer ranks in the Army of the United States.
[edit] Modern Usage
In the U.S. Army, a Lieutenant Colonel typically commands a battalion-sized unit (300 to 1,000 soldiers), with a Command Sergeant Major as principal non-commissioned officer assistant. A Lieutenant Colonel may also serve as a brigade or task force Executive Officer. In the Air Force, a Lieutenant Colonel is generally a director of operations or a squadron commander in the operations group, a squadron commander in the mission support and maintenance groups, or a squadron commander or division chief in a medical group. Lieutenant colonels may also serve on general staffs and may be the heads of some wing staff departments.
The rank of Lieutenant Colonel is usually gained in the 21st century U.S. military after 17-22 years of service as an officer. As most officers are eligible to retire after 20 years active service, it is the most common rank at which career officers retire.
[edit] Terminology
While written as "Lt. Colonel" in orders and signature blocks, as a courtesy, Lieutenant Colonels are addressed as "Colonel" verbally and in the salutation of correspondence. The US Army uses the three letter abbreviation LTC. The US Air Force uses the abbreviation Lt Col.
Irreverent slang terms for the rank in the US military are "Light Colonel," "Short Colonel," and "Bottlecap Colonel". "Light Bird due the a Colonel's Rank is an eagle. "Bottlecap Colonel" comes from the old fashioned metal crimped caps of beer and soda bottles which resemble the silver oak leaf insignia.
[edit] Famous American Lieutenant Colonels
- Jim McCloskey (US Army)
- Frank W. Augustine (US Army)
- Joshua Chamberlain (US Army)
- Robert G. Cole (US Army)
- James H. Doolittle (US Army Air Forces)
- Jay Fawcett (US Air Force)
- Rick Francona (US Air Force)
- Gus Grissom (US Air Force)
- Barry A. Johnson (US Army)
- Oliver North (US Marines)
- Ronald Speirs (US Army)
- Earl Woods (US Army)
- Ralph Peters (US Army)
- Robert L. Bacon (US Army)
- John C. Fremont (US Army)
- Hal Moore (US Army)
- Gus Kohntopp (Air National Guard)
[edit] In Fiction
- Lt. Col. Henry Blake of the film and television series M*A*S*H, portrayed by Roger Bowen and McLean Stevenson, respectively.
- Samantha Carter was promoted to this rank in the eighth season of the television series Stargate SG-1 (portrayed by Amanda Tapping).
- John Sheppard was promoted to this rank in the second season of the television series Stargate: Atlantis (portrayed by Joe Flanigan).
- Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell of the television series Stargate SG-1, portrayed by Ben Browder.
- George Peppard famously played Lt. Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith on The A-Team. Although he was usually referred to as a Colonel, but his rank was clarified in many episodes as Lt. Colonel.
- Lt. Col. Robert Neville of the 2007 film I Am Legend, portrayed by american actor Will Smith. The movie is based on the book of the same name, I Am Legend, from 1954.
- Lt.Col. Sarah MacKenzie was promoted to this rank in the fifth season of the television series JAG, portrayed by Catherine Bell.
