1. Ensign.
   Rear Admiral.
2. Commander.
   Captain.

The word "ensign" means "flag bearer." Initially, bearing the flag was the ensign's job for both land and sea troops.

1. Officers fight the battles while enlisted soldiers plan them.
   You have to have several personal referrals from military family members to become an officer.
2. Officers are allowed to get drunk on duty, and enlisted soldiers are not.
   Enlisted soldiers are like employees and officers are like military managers.

Enlisted soldiers perform most of the tasks and duties in the military. Commissioned Officers are troop managers and assign the soldiers to tasks, plan missions, and give orders.

1. Captain.
   Specialist.
2. Commander.
   Lieutenant.

As of 2017, the Army has about one million soldiers (including reserves). Its colors are black and gold.

1. Sergeant First Class.
   Petty Officer First Class.
2. Force Command Master Chief Petty Officer.
   Gunnery Sergeant.

"We have only one mission to perform—that is to fight and win. And we must do it better than anyone else." –Lieutenant General Leslie E. Brown (U. S. Marine aviator in WW II)

1. Rear Admiral.
   Sergeant.
2. Captain.
   Lieutenant.

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) rises through the ranks without a Presidential appointment. However, the top ranks of the NCO hierarchy are limited by Congress to only 2.5% of all the enlisted members of that branch, which makes upper level ranks competitive positions.

1. Sergeant First Class
   Specialist
2. Technical Sergeant
   Gunnery Sergeant.

The Navajo code talkers of World War II were recruited by the Marines to communicate for troops in the Pacific. Prior to the war, other American Indians had been used to create codes, but the Navajo language remained virtually unstudied. Navajo's were incorporated and could transmit a coded message in a few minutes as compared to the hours it would normally take.

1. Chief Warrant Officer 5.
   General of the Air Force.
2. General of the Army
   Fleet Admiral.

In the Air Force, you visit the DFAC (Dining Facility) to eat as opposed to a Chow Hall or Mess Tent. You "pull the chocks" when you are ready to leave a place.

1. Master Gunnery Sergeant.
   Senior Airman.
2. Sergeant First Class.
   Seaman.

"The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army… We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die." –George Washington, July 2, 1776

1. Chief Master Sergeant.
   Technical Sergeant.
2. Master Sergeant.
   Senior Master Sergeant.

The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps (precursor of the United States Air Force) was created August 1, 1907. Its primary duties during its early years and World War I were to research and develop aviation and to provide the Army with tactical support.

1. Colonel.
   Corporal.
2. Sergeant.
   Ace Pilot.

Colonel is the rank below brigadier general and above lieutenant colonel. Historically, each colonel was responsible for a regiment.

1. Brigadier General.
   Gunnery Sergeant.
2. Lieutenant Colonel.
   Lieutenant Commander.

In the Navy, the term "rank" is reserved for officers. "Rate" is used for enlisted members.

1. Airman.
   Salty.
2. Seaman.
   Private First Class.

Unlike the National Guard which is a reserve unit of the Army that answers to both the state (militia) and federal military, the Coast Guard is an active duty unit. Those in the Coast Guard are employed every day instead of once a month.

1. Non-commissioned Officer.
   Warrant Officer.
2. Commissioned Officer.
   Swabbie.

Commissioned officers receive their commission from the President. They rank higher than Non-Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers and can achieve higher ranks than Limited Duty Officers.

1. Major.
   Colonel.
2. Master Sergeant.
   Staff Sergeant.

Many famous people made time to serve their country in the military. Some of them include: Kirk Douglas (Navy), Montel Williams (Marines), Charlton Heston (Air Force), Jesse Ventura (Navy), James Earl Jones (Army), Nathaniel Dwayne Hale "Nate Dogg" (Marines), M. C. Hammer (Navy), Ice-T (Army), Johnny Cash (Air Force), Mel Brooks (Army), Morgan Freeman (Air Force), and Orville Richard Burrell "Shaggy" (Marines).

1. Master Sergeant.
   Corporal.
2. Sergeant Major.
   Sergeant First Class.

The President of the United States is the head of the military. Even the highest ranking person in the military is under the President in rank.

1. Admiral.
   Sergeant.
2. Airman
   Corporal.

The first modern Naval submarine was the USS Holland (SS-1), which launched May 17, 1897. The Navy currently has 70 submarines in service.

1. Warrant Officers are responsible for writing military advertisements and political propaganda against foreign states.
   A Warrant Officer only deals with legal military matters, such as military judges and lawyers.
2. Warrant Officers are all military police.
   Warrant Officers began as enlisted personnel.

Enlisted personnel who want to become officers after obtaining their college degree can choose to become Warrant Officers or Commissioned Officers. Warrant Officers are considered experts in their fields and may train others.

1. Master Sergeant of the Marine Corps.
   Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.
2. Chief Technical Sergeant of the Marine Corps.
   Master Petty Officer of the Marine Corps.

The Marine headquarters in Arlington, VA, is known as Disneyland East to Marines. Semper Fi is the shortened version of the Marines' motto, "Semper Fidelis," which means "always faithful."

1. Petty Officer Third Class.
   Senior Airman.
2. Corporal.
   Gunnery Sergeant.

"And then, when I thought about joining the Air Force, flying seemed like a natural extension of the motorcycling experience. You're going faster, higher. You're operating a machine that's a lot more powerful than you are." –Duane G. Carey

1. Staff Sergeant.
   Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
2. Lance Corporal.
   Senior Chief Petty Officer.

Although the Air Force requires the highest ASVAB score with a GED (65) in order to enlist, it requires the second highest score with a high school diploma (36). The Coast Guard requires the highest diploma score (40).

1. Lieutenant Colonel.
   Colonel.
2. First Lieutenant.
   Second Lieutenant.

Second lieutenant is the lowest officer rank in the U.S. Army. It is above chief warrant officer, but below first lieutenant.

1. Major.
   Rear Admiral.
2. Captain.
   Brigadier General.

A Captain for the Army, Air Force, and Marines is an O-3 pay grade. A Lieutenant in the Navy or Coast Guard is an O-3 pay grade.

1. First Sergeant
   Sergeant First Class.
2. Chief Master Sergeant.
   Supreme Petty Officer.

SOWTs (Special Operations Weather Teams) are one of the several special operations units within the Air Force. In addition to general reconnaissance missions, they collect weather-related data in hostile environments.

1. Private First Class.
   Private (PV2).
2. Corporal.
   Specialist.

Currently, the biggest helicopter used by the U. S. Army is the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. It can hold 33 fully equipped soldiers and carry a sling with 26,000 pounds of cargo in it.

1. Navy—Coast Guard.
   Navy—Marines.
2. Marines—Coast Guard.
   Air Force—Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard becomes a part of the Navy in times of war. The Army, Air Force, and Marines share their own set of commissioned officer rank names.

1. Master Gunnery Sergeant.
   Master Chief Petty Officer.
2. Chief Master Sergeant.
   Command Sergeant Major.

Twenty-six of the 44 presidents served in the military of which they became head when taking their Presidential oath. President James Buchanan was the only president to be an enlisted soldier; he obtained the rank of private in the Pennsylvania State Militia during the War of 1812.

1. Seaman Recruit.
   Seamen Zero Class.
2. Seaman.
   Seaman Apprentice.

"A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace." –Theodore Roosevelt

1. Lance Corporal.
   Master Gunnery Sergeant.
2. Master Sergeant.
   Gunnery Sergeant.

"Semper Gumby" is a play on Semper Fidelis. It means "always flexible."

1. Senior Airman.
   Master Chief Petty Officer.
2. Chief Petty Officer.
   Staff Sergeant.

Submarine warfare was first attempted during the Revolutionary War with the invention of the submersible, Turtle. The Turtle was David Bushnell's attempt to aid the war effort by planting bombs on the undersides of harbored ships. Although he made several attempts in the machine, none of them were successful.

1. Corporal.
   Lance Corporal.
2. Gunnery Sergeant.
   Staff Sergeant.

The Continental Congress established the Continental Marines in 1775 shortly after the creation of the Continental Army and Navy. Congress created the United States Marine Corps July 11, 1798 to develop forces that would be used in the War of 1812.

1. Vice Admiral.
   Lieutenant.
2. Commander.
   Captain.

Limited Duty Officers are used by the Marines and Navy and are the only officers not required to have a bachelor's degree. Limited Duty Officers have all the same responsibilities and authority of regular officers, but they cannot achieve a rank higher than O-6 in the Navy and O-5 in the Marines.

1. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
   Sergeant Major.
2. Major General.
   Admiral.

The latest Ford-class aircraft carriers are estimated to cost between $12 billion and $15 billion (USD). Congress has mandated the U. S. maintains at least 11 operational aircraft carriers.

1. Marines.
   Air Force.
2. Navy .
   Army.

Actor Jimmy Stewart was drafted into the Army during World War II but failed to meet the requirements. He later enlisted in the Army Air Corps and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. His performance in "It's a Wonderful Life" was his first after the war.

1. Chief Petty Officer.
   Sergeant Major of the Air Force.
2. Wing Sergeant.
   Technical Sergeant.

Technical sergeant is an enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and is at the E-6 pay grade. It is a rank just below master sergeant and above staff sergeant.

1. Chief Petty Officer.
   Petty Officer First Class.
2. Petty Officer Second Class.
   Petty Officer Third Class.

October 13, 1775, is recognized as the foundation of the Navy when the Continental Congress ordered two ships outfitted to intercept enemy ships. On December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress increased the number of vessels and appointed commissioned officers to oversee their operation.