:
Please see "Lieutenant Colonel" for other countries which use this rankthumb|right|125px|Insignia of the [[United States Army|Army and
Air Force rank of Lieutenant Colonel]]
In the
United States Army,
Air Force, and
Marine Corps, 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 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 Marine Corps version.
History
right|thumb|[[Ranks and insignia of the Confederate States|Lt. Colonel rank insignia of the Confederate Army as used during the American Civil War|175px]]
The rank of lieutenant colonel was first created during the
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
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
U.S. 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.
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
U.S. Army.
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
NCO 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.
In the 21st century
U.S. military, the rank of lieutenant colonel is usually gained after 16–22 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.
Rank insignia
The insignia for a lieutenant colonel is a fanned cluster of silver oak leaves. There are subtle design differences between the Army and Air Force version and the insignia used by the Marine Corps.
Terminology
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
U.S. Air Force and
United States Marine Corps use the abbreviations "Lt Col" and "LtCol" (note the space) respectively.
The U.S. Government Printing Office recommends the abbreviation "LTC" for U.S Army usage and "Lt. Col." for Air Force and Marine Corps usage.
Famous American lieutenant colonels
In fiction
- 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 Charleton Heston, is one of few remaining survivors of a hellish germ-warfare doomsday.
