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About This Quiz
Lieutenant, soldier, corporal, captain, this list goes on! There are so many difference titles and ranks in the U.S. military it can be confusing! Where do you rank on your military knowledge? Take this quiz and find out!
Rank insignia for the Coast Guard is basically the same as which military branch?
Army
Marine Corps
Navy
Coast Guard rank insignia are the same as those for the Navy.
True or false: The rank of private in the Marines does not wear a uniform insignia.
true
Neither privates in the Marine Corps or in the Army, seamen recruits in the Navy nor airmen recruits in the Air Force have a rank insignia.
false
How do you address a lieutenant general?
general
All generals are addressed as "general," whether brigadier, lieutenant, major or simply general.
lieutenant
O captain! My captain!
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Which Army rank is only used in time of war?
general
general of the Army
The rank of general of the Army is equal to or higher than those who command armies from other nations and hasn't been used since World War II.
vice general
What does it mean to "get your stripes"?
a pilot who has the need for speed
a pulled-together appearance
a promotion to NCO rank
Getting your stripes means you've been promoted to an NCO rank.
What is a mustang?
an officer promoted from enlisted
A mustang is an officer who was promoted from within the enlisted ranks.
an officer charged with the operation of a ship
nickname for a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant
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Who is a plebe?
incoming class at a military academy
Freshman (the lowest class) are called plebes at the Naval Academy and at West Point.
new recruits in basic training
upperclassmen at Officer Candidate School
What were captains called in the Roman army ranks?
munifexs
centurions
Captains in the Roman army were called centurions, each commanding up to 100 men.
quaestors
If you're a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, what is the equivalent rank in the Army?
apprentice first class
lance corporal
private first class
A lance corporal is the equivalent to a private first class in the Army. In the Marines, private first class comes before lance corporal.
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Which rank is higher in the Marine Corps, sergeant major or master gunnery sergeant?
sergeant major
While they're the same pay grade (E-9), sergeant major is the higher rank.
master gunnery sergeant
They're the same.
Which is NOT a difference of insignia between a seaman recruit in the Navy and one in the Coast Guard?
A seaman recruit in the Coast Guard wears an insignia.
Coast Guard rank insignia is a different color.
both of these
In the Coast Guard, a seaman recruit has an insignia with one stripe, and Coast Guard insignia colors are different than Navy colors.
neither of these
Who are the brass?
all commissioned officers
high-ranking officers
Military "brass" are its high-ranking officers.
Congress
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What is the difference between a commissioned and noncommissioned officer?
age
security clearance
education
Commissioned officers have extra education (a minimum of a bachelor's degree and officer training), whereas NCOs do not.
True or false: Commissioned officers outrank all noncommissioned officers.
true
Commissioned officers outrank NCOs, but NCOs do command lower-ranking enlisted personnel.
false
Who is the only airman ever to hold rank of five-star general, as the general of the Air Force?
Henry H. Arnold
Arnold also became general of the Army in 1944.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chester W. Nimitz
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What are the three groups Army ranks are broken down into?
enlisted, specialists, commissioned officers
junior enlisted, noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and senior NCOs
Army ranks fall into three groups: junior enlisted, NCOs and senior NCOs.
wings, groups and squadrons
Which rank from the Continental Army is now obsolete?
coronet
ensign
subaltern
all of these
The Continental Army had privates, sergeants, captains and generals, but coronet, ensign and subaltern are now obsolete titles.
Which admiral was honored with the special six-star rank of admiral of the Navy, the only person ever to receive this title?
Michelle J. Howard
Ulysses S. Grant
George Dewey
Dewey served in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
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Who is the first woman to achieve the rank of admiral in the Navy?
Robin Braun
Michelle J. Howard
Michelle J. Howard, commissioned in 1982 as an officer in the Navy, became the first woman to become a four-star admiral in July 2014.
Jan Tighe
Nora Tyson
What is the order of generals, junior to senior?
general, lieutenant general, major general, brigadier general
brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general
Brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, general is the order, from most junior to most senior rank.
general, brigadier general, lieutenant general, major general
Who is the only U.S. president to serve as an enlisted man without going on to the officer corps?
James Buchanan
James Buchanan served in a unit of dragoons during the War of 1812.
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
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What do Marines often pin in their cover or under a pocket?
trident badge
merit badge
their next promotable rank
For motivation, some Marines pin their next promotable rank on their uniform in a hidden place.
Senior NCOs are sometimes called what?
woobies
yardbirds
zebras
Because of the number of stripes on their rank insignia, senior NCOs are also known as "zebras".
Who was given the title of honorary Marine and discharged as a master sergeant?
Bob Hope
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny, who decided to become a Marine in the 1943 cartoon "Super-Rabbit," began as a private and retired as a master sergeant at the end of World War II.
Chuck Norris
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Which rank is known as "chief"?
chief petty officer (Coast Guard)
chief petty officer (Navy)
warrant officer (Army)
all of these
All Army warrant officers or petty officers in the Navy or Coast Guard may be addressed as "chief."
none of these
True or false: Actor Jimmy Stewart achieved rank of brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.
true
Hollywood leading man and Oscar winner James "Jimmy" Stewart was a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve.
false
What's a full bird?
a colonel in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps
A full bird is a colonel in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps. The insignia for colonel is an eagle.
a lieutenant colonel in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps
a brigadier general in the Army, Air Force or Marine Corps
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Who makes up the E-4 Mafia?
privates
specialists
Active and reserve duty Army specialist is the most prevalent rank among enlisted soldiers, known jokingly as the "E-4 Mafia." (E-4 is their pay grade.)
rangers
What do infantrymen call any service member who's not an infantryman?
POG
Infantrymen may use the acronym POG (person other than grunt) to describe a noninfantryman.
RTB
RCPO
Who was the first retired Marine to receive an honorary promotion?
Bob Keeshan (aka Captain Kangaroo)
Gene Hackman
R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey, a former Marine Corps drill instructor and Vietnam veteran, retired as a staff sergeant but was promoted to "gunny" (gunnery sergeant) after his role in "Full Metal Jacket."
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You Got:
/30
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