Lieutenant colonel (United States)

U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force insignia of the rank of lieutenant colonel. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

U.S. Army insignia of the rank of Lieutenant colonel. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

U.S. Marine Corps insignia of the rank of Lieutenant colonel. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

U.S. Air Force insignia of the rank of Lieutenant colonel. Style and method of wear may vary between the services.

In the United States Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.

The pay grade for the rank of lieutenant colonel is O-5. The insignia for the rank consists of a silver oak leaf, with slight stylized differences between the Army/Air Force version and the Navy/Marine Corps version.

Promotion to lieutenant colonel is governed by Department of Defense policies derived from the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act of 1980. DOPMA guidelines suggest 70% of majors should be promoted to lieutenant colonel after serving a minimum of three years at their present rank and after attaining 15–17 years of cumulative commissioned service.

Etymology

While written as "Lt. Colonel" in orders and signature blocks, as a courtesy, lieutenant colonels are addressed simply as "colonel" verbally and in the salutation of correspondence. The U.S. Army uses the three letter abbreviation "LTC." The United States Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force use the abbreviations "LtCol" and "Lt  Col" (note the space) respectively.

The U.S. Government Printing Office recommends the abbreviation "LTC" for U.S. Army usage, "LtCol" for Marine Corps usage, and "Lt. Col." for the Air Force.^[1] The Associated Press Stylebook recommends the abbreviation "Lt. Col." for the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force.^[2]

Slang terms for the rank historically used by the U.S. military include "light colonel", "short colonel", "light bird", "half colonel", "bottlecap colonel" (referring to the silver oak leaf insignia), and "telephone colonel" (from self-reference as "colonel" when using a telephone).

History

Lieutenant colonel rank insignia of the Confederate Army, used during the American Civil War.

The rank of lieutenant colonel has existed in the British Army since at least the 16th century and was used in both American colonial militia and colonial regular regiments.^[3] The Continental Army continued the British and colonial use of the rank of lieutenant colonel,^[4] as the second-in-command to a colonel commanding a regiment.^[5] The lieutenant colonel was sometimes known as "lieutenant to the colonel."

In British practice, regiments were actually commanded by their lieutenant colonels, as the colonel was a titular position ^[6] (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 a lieutenant colonel commandant. The conversion was never completely effected and some regiments remained commanded by colonels throughout the war.^[7] From 1784 until 1791, there was only one lieutenant colonel in the US Army (Josiah Harmar), who acted as the army's commanding officer.

In the Continental Army aides to the Commander in Chief, viz., Lieutenant General George Washington, were lieutenant colonels. Additionally, certain officers serving under the Adjutant General, Inspector General, and Judge Advocate General, ranked as lieutenant colonels.^[8]

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 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 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 terminal rank, although many lieutenant colonels were raised to higher positions in a brevet status. Such was the case with George A. Custer, who was a lieutenant colonel in the regular army, but held the brevet rank of major general.^[9][10]

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

Army Service Uniform infantry shoulder strap with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel

In the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps (USMC), a lieutenant colonel typically commands a battalion/squadron-sized unit (300 to 1,200 Soldiers/Marines), with a major as second-in-command and a command sergeant major/sergeant major (USMC) as principal NCO or senior enlisted adviser (SEA). A lieutenant colonel may also serve as a brigade/brigade combat team, regiment/regimental combat team, Marine Aviation Group (MAG), Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), or battalion task force executive officer. Lieutenant colonels routinely serve as principal staff officers, under a colonel as chief of staff, on a general staff ("G" staff) of a division, Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), or Marine Logistics Group (MLG). These staff positions may include: G-1 (administration and personnel), G-2 (intelligence), G-3 (operations), G-4 (logistics), G-5 (civil/military affairs), or G-6 (computers and communications). Usage of "The G-n" may refer to either a specific staff section or the staff officer leading a section. Lieutenant colonels may also be junior staff at a variety of higher echelons.

In the United States Air Force, a lieutenant colonel is generally a squadron commander in the operations group, 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.

In US Army and Air Force ROTC detachments, the commanding officer is typically a Lieutenant Colonel, along with several Majors, Captains, and Non-commissioned Officers serving as assistants. However, some detachments are commanded by full Colonels.

The rank of Lieutenant Colonel is also used by many large American police departments for officers in senior administrative positions. The rank is not always called "lieutenant colonel," and in many cases - particularly with municipal police agencies - an alternate term such as "Assistant Chief" or "Commander" is used, and only the insignia is retained. In some organizations, however, especially state police agencies, both the title and insignia are used. Occasionally, the rank is used in conjunction with, rather than instead of, an official title. For example, in the Texas Department of Public Safety, the head of the agency's patrol division is titled "Chief of the Highway Patrol", but holds the rank of a lieutenant colonel: this figure is thus referred to as "Lieutenant Colonel," not "Chief".

Notable American lieutenant colonels

• Tench Tilghman (Continental Army)
• Robert L. Bacon (U.S. Army)
• Scott Brown (U.S. Army National Guard)
• Alexander Hamilton (Continental Army)
• Aaron Burr (Continental Army)
• Ernest Childers (U.S. Army) Medal of Honor recipient
• Joshua Chamberlain (U.S. Army)
• Robert G. Cole (U.S. Army)
• Richard Scheuring (U.S. Army)
• Jerry Coleman (United States Marine Corps)
• Philip Corso (U.S. Army)
• David P. Cooley (U.S. Air Force)
• Bruce P. "Snake" Crandall (U.S. Army), Medal of Honor recipient for his actions at Ia Drang.
• George A. 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), Democratic Congresswoman (IL-8)
• Joni Ernst US Senator (R-Iowa) Iowa Army National Guard, U.S. Senator
• Rick Francona (U.S. Air Force)
• John C. Fremont (U.S. Army)
• Gregory D. Gadson (U.S. Army) bilateral above-the-knee amputee, occasional actor and motivational speaker.
• Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom (U.S. Air Force)
• Dave Grossman (U.S. Army) professor of psychology and military science, author and speaker
• Iceal Hambleton (U.S. Air Force)
• Anthony B. Herbert (U.S. Army)
• Christopher B. Howard (U.S. Air Force)
• Gus Kohntopp (U.S. Air National Guard)
• John Laurens (Continental Army)
• Bob McDonnell (U.S. Army) Former Republican Attorney General and Governor of Virginia.
• 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)
• John Shimkus (U.S. Army) U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Ronald Speirs (U.S. Army)
• Michael Strobl (U.S. Marine Corps)
• William Travis (Texas Militia)
• Matt Urban (U.S. Army)
• John Paul Vann (U.S. Army)
• Edward Higgins White (U.S. Air Force)
• Earl Woods (U.S. Army)
• David P. Weber (Maryland State Guard), lawyer and certified fraud examiner, revealed nation-state hacking by the Chinese PLA and Russian FSB of U.S. Stock Exchanges
• Allen West (U.S. Army) former Republican Congressman (FL-22)

In popular culture

• Lt. Col. Henry Blake of the film MASH 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, his rank was clarified in many episodes as Lt. Colonel.
• Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, portrayed by American actor Robert Duvall.
• 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. The 2007 film version is a remake of the 1971 film The Omega Man, in which Robert Neville, portrayed by Charlton Heston, is one of few remaining survivors of a hellish germ-warfare doomsday.
• Lt. Col. Sarah MacKenzie was promoted to this rank in the fifth season of the television series JAG, portrayed by Catherine Bell.
• Lt. Col. Hollis Mann who appeared on NCIS, portrayed by Susanna Thompson.
• Al Pacino portrayed Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in the 1992 film Scent of a Woman.
• Sean Connery portrayed Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell in the film The Presidio in 1988
• Lt. Col. Joan Burton of the Lifetime television series Army Wives, portrayed by Wendy Davis. The series is based on the book of the same name, Army Wives by Tanya Biank.
• Lt. Col. Thomas Devoe of the movie The Peacemaker, portrayed by George Clooney.
• Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling of the movie Courage Under Fire, portrayed by Denzel Washington.
• Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, portrayed by Terrence Howard in Iron Man and Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3.
• Lt. Col. John Cambridge, portrayed by Christian Camargo in The Hurt Locker.
• Lt. Col. Wayne Fields, portrayed by Eric Steinberg in Pretty Little Liars.
• Lt. Col Paul Ironhorse portrayed by Richard Chaves in War of the Worlds
• Lt. Col. Morton Williams was charged with picking the tune to be radioed out from the Mariner X rocket satellite in Jack Perry's 1963 play "The Whole Darn Shooting Match".
• Lt. Col. Stephen "Godfather" Ferrando portrayed by Chance Kelly in Generation Kill.
• Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson, portrayed by J.T. Walsh in A Few Good Men.

References

1. "Preliminary-cloth.indd" (PDF). Retrieved 27 April 2012.
2. Jack (21 May 2009). "AP Style Book". Apstylebook.blogspot.com. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
3. "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History (p. 13). 1 May 1982. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
4. "History of the lieutenant colonel rank". Usmilitary.about.com. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
5. "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History (p. 13 ff.). 1 May 1982. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
6. "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History (p. 48). 1 May 1982. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
7. "The Continental Army". U.S. Army Center of Military History (pp. 127-128 ff.). 1 May 1982. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
8. "The Continental Army (pp. 128 & 145)". U.S. Army Center of Military History. 1 May 1982. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
9. "Lieutenant-Colonel And Brevet Major-General George A. Custer, U.S.A". All-biographies.com. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
10. "Brevet Rank In The Civil War". Civilwarhome.com. Retrieved 27 April 2012.