View Full Version : Quiz on Military Rank Structure
Pete0331
07-05-09, 10:33 AM
http://www.sporcle.com/games/militaryranks.php
Follow the link.
The quiz is on rank structure of all branches.
97 of out 104.
Army and Air Force gave me problems.
After 7 minutes the only ones I didnt know were Command Senior Chief Master Sergeant or whatever the hell it is in the air Force, and rear admiral upper half and lower half (I knew rear admiral, but didnt know about the halves)
So 101/104.
102/104, airforce got me too.
Alisium
07-05-09, 01:41 PM
Can't see the ranks. It must be firefox.
Can't see the ranks. It must be firefox.
It's meant to be that way, Cpl. You type the ranks in and the words appear at the bottom.
Alisium
07-05-09, 01:57 PM
Isn't there a picture of rank that I have to identify or do I have to try to name them all like naming the fifty states?
Firefox was working for me...
102/104... Senior Master Sergeant and Command Chief Master Sergeant Tripped me...
Dang USAF...
EDIT: you have to hit the start and a box pops up and then you have to type them all in from memory.
Zulu 36
07-05-09, 03:27 PM
104/104 with five minutes left (forgot how to spell apprentice of all things).
The Air Force is easy, you just call everyone you meet with stripes, "Sarge."
Old Marine
07-05-09, 04:05 PM
104/104 with five minutes left (forgot how to spell apprentice of all things).
The Air Force is easy, you just call everyone you meet with stripes, "Sarge."
Or their first name.
William Hardy
07-05-09, 04:20 PM
my time was bad - my spelling slowed me down - didn't realize you had to spell everything out - abbreviations would have been better I still got 97 right - never could spell LT so I missed all ranks (including general) with LT in it as well as Col.
ameriken
07-05-09, 06:00 PM
Isn't there a picture of rank that I have to identify or do I have to try to name them all like naming the fifty states?
Gotta name them all in the space provided
Or their first name.
Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!
Sheila Hays
07-05-09, 08:55 PM
I only got 21 out of 104, now that's bad. I messed up with Air Force and Navy. I'm Dumb when it comes to the rank structure of other branches of the services. Sempers Sheila Hays
00101010
07-05-09, 09:26 PM
88 of 104, found out my spelling ability is worst then I thought. Didn't fill in a single Airforce, the ones I did get credit for were given to me for filling in the other branches.
And "Private E-2" come on...
Pete0331
07-05-09, 09:31 PM
And "Private E-2" come on...
The Army enlisted rank structure makes no sense.
They have a rocker... then they don't have a rocker.
There are 2 E-4 ranks for some reason.
semperfi170
07-05-09, 09:38 PM
Air Force messed me up! By the way did you all notice that they had the respective service chiefs and the 5 star ranks, but not the Commandant.
00101010
07-05-09, 09:41 PM
The Army enlisted rank structure makes no sense.
They have a rocker... then they don't have a rocker.
There are 2 E-4 ranks for some reason.
Well, I knew they called E1 and E2 and E3's private, just confusing for the quiz.
A few years back in Iraq, we were doing a quick run to an army base for something, mainly to pick up some good chow while there. We were standing next to our vehicles drinking water getting ready to load back up and leave when some army "sarge" something or other walks by and comments that we were blocking the sidewalk and should move. Now we were all LCpl's and below except for our squad leader who semi-politely tells him to shove off and mind his business. He then says something about there is no need for all these "privates" standing around not doing anything and our Sgt went off. "They aren't privates, they are Marine PFC's and LCpl's and they would apperciate if you got their ranks correct". He apolgized and left.
HurricaneRJ
07-05-09, 10:11 PM
The Army enlisted rank structure makes no sense.
They have a rocker... then they don't have a rocker.
There are 2 E-4 ranks for some reason.
Army has two E-4 ranks as they have two E-8 ranks.
Specialist and Cpl.
I got 97 out of 104 by myself & had to ask Isrowei for help in the last minute. With his help I wound up with 101/104. I got all the Marine Corps ranks & all the Navy ranks without his help, but I got stuck on the Air Force & Army ranks. He's very proud of me, I believe. lol
Isrowei
07-05-09, 11:49 PM
I am! :)
Wyoming
07-06-09, 08:00 AM
I am! :)
Aw jeez, kissy, kissy!! . :sick:
:D
Get some LT!!
silverdollar
07-06-09, 09:05 AM
I got 97 out of 104 by myself & had to ask Isrowei for help in the last minute. With his help I wound up with 101/104. I got all the Marine Corps ranks & all the Navy ranks without his help, but I got stuck on the Air Force & Army ranks. He's very proud of me, I believe. lol
I think that you would have got them all if you did not take the help.:D
Well don't assume that we never said "sarge" before, it was quite common for us Marines back in the old days. Naturally its never done anymore. Its become one of those jest things like everything else thats said as a joke.
Specialist ranks glean from the post 1950s Army when they had specialist grades from E-4 to E-9. Naturally a lot of the higher ones slowly fell away until they had just the E-4 in 1985. Now interestingly enough for a short bit they had a E-2 PFC and a E-3 Lance Corporal (With the one stripe one rocker deal) but that died out very quickly and they changed it to the system that it is today.
http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/coldwarem.html
That website is VERY informative. Now that all stems back to the WW2 and WW1 ages. In WW1 almost every friggin rank had a special rank insignia they had dozens of grades of privates with varrying rank insignia depending on their job Sergeants that had so many special devices that it was crazy. So pre-WW2 they simplified to the Technical Grades.
http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/wwii_era.html
The rank of Specialist has a bit more history than we think. Sadly I think its a cheap cop to get E-4 pay. Supposedly they are supervisors but not actual leaders (unless they go to a NCO PME styled course). And chances can be you can end up a Corporal or like most, a Sergeant after Specialist.
Now the Marines... well we had a complicated rank structure in WWI and throughout the 20's-30's that we slowly shaved down to something that might look a bit familiar come WW2:
http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/armedforces-ww2.html
We had two versions from Grades 3 and up. If they had a bar it was a "Staff rank" so Staff Sergeant, Technical Sergeant, Master Technical Sergeant were all our versions of a "technical" rank. The "Line Ranks" had rockers and so Platoon Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, First Sergeant and Master Gunnery Sergeant/Sergeant Major are all considered for more infantry styled billets.
Here's a 30's example from GunnyG's website... BTW if he's still around I LOVE it. I've always wanted to get more info on that wack rank structure between WWI and WWII!
http://mujweb.atlas.cz/kultura/usmc/imaservice/rank04.gif
Ain't ya glad we all simplified!
killbodies3027
07-06-09, 10:55 AM
I got all the Marine ranks correct, where's my cookie?
Pete0331
07-06-09, 11:35 AM
Air Force messed me up! By the way did you all notice that they had the respective service chiefs and the 5 star ranks, but not the Commandant.
The Commandant isn't a rank, its a billet.
The Commandant isn't a rank, its a billet.
Yeah, else we'd have to put Army Chief of Staff, Air Force Chief of Staff (I think), and Chief of Naval Operations as well ;)
TypeOrange
07-06-09, 01:06 PM
You got 89 out of 104 U.S Military Ranks.
Not as well as i would expect from myself...
missed 2 Army, 5 Air Force, and 8 Navy.
Private E-2? Threw me off.
Sheila Hays
07-07-09, 03:38 PM
I so got messed up, I'm not sorry I took the test, but we never studied the other branches. So much for that test, I wish I had my brothers with me. One was navy, the other was Air Force. I needed help. Semper Fi Sheila Hays
SGT7477
07-07-09, 05:04 PM
Army has two E-4 ranks as they have two E-8 ranks.
Specialist and Cpl.
Didn't they have a Spec5 too?:flag:
Pete0331
07-07-09, 08:50 PM
Didn't they have a Spec5 too?:flag:
Back in the day they did.
I think it was ended in the late 50's or early 60's.
Specialist ranks went from E-4 to E-9.
rredding1
07-08-09, 05:48 AM
I studied these ranks religiously in High School.:banana:
Sheila Hays
07-08-09, 12:47 PM
I didn't study the rank structure, I didn't have any need to. I was too busy studying for exams to graduate. I knew all about the Marines when I joined up. How could I forget bootcamp, to this day I still think of it. Semper Fi Sheila Hays
tavern1775
07-08-09, 04:05 PM
80/104 , i thought my spelling skills sux , now i know for sure
SGT7477
07-08-09, 08:42 PM
Back in the day they did.
I think it was ended in the late 50's or early 60's.
Specialist ranks went from E-4 to E-9.
I always thought they just had Spec4 and Spec5 didn't know they went any higher.
Pete0331
07-08-09, 08:50 PM
I always thought they just had Spec4 and Spec5 didn't know they went any higher.
I may be wrong.
I'll go look it up now.
To the Poolee's lurking, take the quiz and post your score.
Check my earlier post HERE (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showpost.php?p=511973&postcount=23)
All this historical military knowledge floating around in my head actually does have a use :D
Pete0331
07-08-09, 09:43 PM
I may be wrong.
I'll go look it up now.
Ok found the info.
SP8 and SP9 existed on paper, but were never authorized for wear. They were both discontinued in 1965.
SP7 was discontinued in 1975.
SP5 and SP6 were both discontinued in 1985.
http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/coldwarem.html
Thanks for the info GIrene.:marine:
Pete0331
07-08-09, 09:56 PM
Here is a tasty bit of trivia.
Silver Outranks Gold?
The precedence of silver over gold in officer insignia of rank was not the result of deliberate intent, but arose from the desire to lessen change. Although the background discussed below is for Army insignia, the Navy and Marine Corps metal insignia of rank for officers have paralleled those of the Army. When the Air Force was established in 1947, it adopted the officers’ insignia of rank already in use by the Army/Army Air Forces.
Since 1780, when insignia was embroidered on the epaulettes, the rank of Generals has been denoted by a number of silver stars. This was the beginning of the present system of officers’ insignia of rank.
Epaulettes were specified for all officers in 1832; for the Infantry they were silver and all other branches had gold. In order that the rank insignia would be clearly visible, they were of the opposite color; that is, the Infantry Colonels had an eagle of gold because it was placed on a silver epaulette and all other Colonels had silver eagles on gold epaulettes. At that time the only rank insignia were the stars for Generals and eagles for Colonels. Epaulettes for Lieutenant Colonels, Majors, Captains, and Lieutenants had no insignia -- the length and size of the epaulettes' fringe showing the difference of rank.
Shoulder straps were adopted to replace the epaulette for field duty in 1836. The shoulder straps followed the same color combination as the epaulettes; that is, the border was gold with silver insignia for all officers except those of the Infantry which had silver border with gold insignia. At that time Majors were authorized oak leaves; Captains were authorized two bars and First Lieutenants were authorized one bar on the shoulder straps.
In 1851, the Colonel's eagle was prescribed in silver only. Apparently, when it was decided to use only one color, the silver eagle was selected based on the fact that there were more Colonels with silver eagles than those with gold.
So, on the shoulder straps, Lieutenant Colonels wore an embroidered silver oak leaf; Majors wore a gold embroidered oak leaf; and Captains and First Lieutenants wore gold bars. The Second Lieutenant had no rank insignia, but the epaulette or shoulder strap identified him as a commissioned officer.
In 1872, epaulettes were abolished for officers and replaced by shoulder knots. As the shoulder knots had no fringe (1832), it was necessary that some change in the insignia of the dress uniform be made in order to distinguish the Major from the Second Lieutenant. It was natural to use the gold leaf which the Major had worn on the shoulder strap for the previous twenty-one years. In that same year, the bars on the shoulder straps of the Captains and First Lieutenants were changed from gold to silver to correspond with the silver devices of the senior officers.
The service uniform of olive drab gradually came to be used more frequently and by the time of the First World War, the blue uniform was worn only in the evenings and on dress occasions. As a result, metal insignia was authorized for wear on the service uniform on the shoulder loop and on the collar of the shirt when worn without a jacket. Shortly after the United States entered the First World War, only the service olive drab uniform was being worn. The need for an insignia for the Second Lieutenant became urgent. Among the proposals was one to authorize for that rank one bar, for the First Lieutenant two bars, and for the Captain three bars. However, the policy of making as little change as possible prevailed, and a gold bar was adopted in 1917, following the precedent previously established by the adoption of the gold oak leaf for Majors.
Although silver outranks gold in the Armed Forces metal insignia of rank, gold can be considered as outranking silver in medals, decorations, and their appurtenances. The order of precedence in establishing medals when using the same design is gold-silver-bronze.
http://usarmyinsigniahomepage.110mb.com/SilverGold.html.html
I actually think the silver/gold thing was an AFN commercial on TV... one of those random facts ones.
Sheila Hays
07-10-09, 03:51 PM
If you want to send someone to the mess hall for a month, send a Pfc. That's what they did to me, my section had all Cpl's, Sgt's and above. I'm so glad I came down with the measles, I got sent to the hospital. Best rest I'd had in a long time. Every night a corpsman sat by my bed to talk. There were four other WM's in the room, they all came down with measles. I never spoke to the corpsman, I just said Hi, and went to sleep. Semper Fi Sheila Hays
phatso2e
07-16-09, 03:01 AM
97/105 That was fun. Thanks for posting. I think this quiz needs a re-design, with visual rank insignia.
I may try to create a similar one in my spare time. Be on the look-out!