Trivia questions

[W.G.Ewald]

The US Army has had generals of five star rank. The rank is General of the Army.
Other armies refer to the bearers of 5 stars as Field Marshals or Marshals. Why is the US title General of the Army?

What rank is higher than General of the Army?

 

[sob]

Would it be Commander In Chief..

 

[HeinzGud]

Defense Secretary of Defense Department

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Five-star rank is General of the Army because George Marshal did not want to be called Field Marshal Marshal.

There have been two 5-stars with the rank of General of the Armies.

One was George Washington and the other was "Black Jack" Pershing.

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB (Hon) (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing

Pershing was called "Black Jack" after commanding a troop of the 10th Cavalry Regt.

On October 20, 1892,[4] Pershing was promoted to first lieutenant and took command of a troop of the 10th Cavalry Regiment (one of the original Buffalo Soldier regiments), composed of African-American soldiers under white officers.

HeinzGud and sob are both correct that the highest US military rank reports to civilian authority in the form of SecDef and CiC, the latter being the President.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Five Star Insignia: General of the Army/Admiral of the Fleet

http://www.military-historians.org/publications/journal/samples/Henry5Stars.pdf