Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the other uniformed services, such as the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard and the commissioned corps of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The insignia of the rank of colonel, as seen on the right, is worn on the officer's left side (a mirror-image version is worn on the right side, such that the eagle always faces forward to the wearer's front; the left-side version is also worn centered on fatigue caps, helmets, ACU & ECWCS breasts, inter alia).
Promotion to colonel is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest 50% of lieutenant colonels should be promoted to colonel after serving a minimum of three years at their present rank and after attaining 21-23 years of cumulative commissioned service. The pay grade for the rank of colonel or naval captain in the United States is O-6.
Read more about Colonel (United States): Insignia, Origins, 19th Century, 20th Century, Modern Rank, Honorary Colonels, Famous American Colonels
Famous quotes containing the word colonel:
“Swan/Mary Rutledge: Oh no, no. I’m not running away. I came here to get something, and I’m going to get it.
Col. Cobb: Yes, but San Francisco is no place for a woman.
Swan: Why not? I’m not afraid. I like the fog. I like this new world. I like the noise of something happening.... I’m tired of dreaming, Colonel Cobb. I’m staying. I’m staying and holding out my hands for gold—bright, yellow gold.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)