can some one please explain military ranks to me?

Question

I see things on tv that have initials likepfc,spc so on and so on so I was just wanting to know what theses initials stand for and what are the ranks from lowest to highest.

Orion · Accepted Answer

Prior answers are all excellent.

The most common ones for the Army you'll see are:
PVT - Private (Covers E1 and E2)
PFC - Private First Class (E3)
SPC - Specialist (E4 that focuses on a specialized job)
CPL - Corporal (E4 that is a less specific-focus soldier)
SGT - Sergeant (E5) - This is often used for ALL the Sergeant ranks...
LT - Lieutenant (O1 and O2) - This covers both the 2nd Lieutenant (2LT, O1) and the 1st Lieutenant (1LT, O2)
CPT - Captain (O3)
MAJ - Major (O4)
LTC - Lieutanant Colonel (O5)
COL - Colonel (O6)
GEN - Like Sergeants, this is often used to cover ALL the Generals (BG, MG, LTG, GEN)

There are also several flavors of Warrant Officers but you'll probably not see these very often (a lot of WOs are Chopper pilots and the like).

The Air Force has about six thousand flavors of Sergeant - This dates back to WWII when the Germans gave soldiers ranking Sergeant and above better treatment. The Army Air Corps made pretty much everyone flying a Sergeant of some sort to ensure good treatment for downed air crews. They start out with "Airman" rather than "Private". Their Officer ranks match the Army's.

Marines rank usually matches the Army ranks with the exception of LCPL - Lance Corporal (E3) and the PFC is an E2.

The Navy ranks date back to the days of Wooden Ships and Iron Men - So you see Bosuns, Bosun's Mate, Gunners' Mates, Petty Officers, Seamen, and lots of other weird rates. The Officers are a bit different - What gets confusing is that they use the same rank insignia but call it different things.
ENS - Ensign (O1 - Single brass bar like a 2LT)
LJG - Lieutenant (Junior Grade) ( O2 - Single silver bar like a 1LT)
LT - Lieutenant (O3 - Same as an Army Captain - two silver bars - This one gets confusing when you're used to calling two silver bars Captain - Do NOT call a Navy Lieutenant 'Captain')
LCD - Lieutenant Commander (O4 - Same as an Army Major)
CDR - Commander (O5 - Same as an Army LTC)
CPT  - Captain (O6 - Same as an Army Colonel)
And then lots of different flavors of Admiral that match the different flavors of general (RADM (LH), RADM (UH), VADM, ADM)

Hopefully this helps!

Orion

eks_spurt · Answer

Lowest to highest
Enlisted Persons
1 Pvt. Private (no chevron) E1
2 Pv2 Private (with chevron) E2
3 Pfc. Private First Class E3
4 Spec.  Specialist Fourth Class E4
5 Corp. Corporal E4
6 Sgt. Sergeant E5
7 SSG. Staff Sergeant E6
8 SFC Sergeant First Class E7
9 MSGT Master Sergeant E8
10 1stSgt. First Sergeant E8
11  SgM Sergeant MajorE9
12 CSM (if I recall) Command Sergeant Major E10
13 CSM of the Army Command Sergeant Major of the Army E11

Officers
1 2Lt. Seciond Lieutenant OE1
2 1Lt  First Lieutenant OE2
3 Cpt Capatain OE3
4 Maj Major OE4
5 LtCol Lieutenant Colonel OE5
6 Col Colonel OE6
7 Brig. Gen. Brigadier General OE7
8 Maj. Gen. Major General OE8
9 Lt. Gen Lieutenant General OE9
10 Gen.  General

There used to be a 5 star General.  The rank was called General of the Army.  The last person to wear the rank was General Omar Bradley.  I hope he is not rolling over in his grave.  For what his predecessors have been doing with his Veterans Facilities across this country.  What I mean by his Veterans Facilities is after WWII it became his job to over see these hospitals for the returned wounded.  There were more wounded then.  He walked into near appalling conditions and basically turned them around to run more efficiently and get the help our troops needed.

some_guy_times_50 · Answer

Spc stands for Specialist.  PFC stands for private first class.  There are several different rank structures in use here in the United States military depending on the branch of the service.  The Army and Marine Corps pretty much have the same rank structure.  The Air Force uses the same rank structure for its officer corps, and its own structure for enlisted personnel.  And the Navy has its own structure for both enlisted and officers.

CG-23 Sailor · Answer

Enlisted rates go from E-1 to E-9
Officer ranks go from O-1 to O-11

what each is called depends on the branch of service

an O-3 in the Navy is a Leiutenant but in any other Military branch it is a Captain

a Captain in the Navy is an O-6 which other branches call a Colonel

What you seem to be asking is what the abreviations of the rank names are.

such as Lt for Leiutenant and Col for Colonel

PFC is a Private 1st Class
SPC is a Specialist

Wiki Military ranks and you can find a table showing all of them and in order.

Swordfish · Answer

Try this website: http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/military-ranks.htm.

It gives the various ranks for not only the Air Force; but also the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and the Marines. In addition; it will list the ranks regarding Enlisted and Unlisted, etc....

The second site will give you more information regarding military insitutions around the world:
http://www.answers.com/topic/comparative-military-ranks

Heather · Answer

The ranks are different in each branch of the US Military.  Check out each branches' website to see what each means, I know that pfc stands for private first class.

Stephany c · Answer

well first of all pfc stands for Private First class, I dont know alot about other branches but for the Navy it goes like this:
 E1-Seaman recruit
 E2-Seaman Apprentice
 E3-Seaman
 E4-PO3 (petty officer 3rd class)
 E4-PO2 (''               " 2nd class)
 E5-PO1
 E6-chief
 E7-Senior Chief
 E8-Master Chief
 E9-Master Chief of the Navy
the E stands for enlisted, those are all of the enlisted ranks, after enlisted it goes into officer

Anonymous · Answer

join the army. they will explain them real fast to you.

My little girl is here!! · Answer

It depends on what branch you are asking about but here is a list


Marine Corps

E-1 Private (PVT)
E-2 Private First Class (PFC)
E-3 Lance Corporal (LCpl)
E-4 Corporal (Cpl)
E-5 Sergeant (Sgt)
E-6 Staff Sergeant (SSgt)
E-7 Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt)
E-8 First Sergeant (1SG)
E-8 Master Sergeant (Msgt)
E-9 Sergeant Major (SgtMaj)
E-9 Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt)
E-9 Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (SgtMajMC)

W-1 Warrant Officer 1 (WO)
W-2 Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2)
W-3 Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3)
W-4 Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4)
W-5 Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CWO5)

O-1 2nd Lieutenant (2nd Lt)
O-2 1st Lieutenant (1st Lt)
O-3 Captain (Capt.)
O-4 Major (Maj.)
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.)
O-6 Colonel (Col.)
O-7 Brigadier General (Brig. Gen.)
O-8 Major General (Maj. Gen.)
O-9 Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.)
O-10 General (Gen.)
O-10 Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC)


Army

E-1 Private (PVT)
E-2 Private (PVT)
E-3 Private First Class (PFC)
E-4 Specialist (SPC)
E-4 Corporal (CPL)
E-5 Sergeant (SGT)
E-6 Staff Sergeant (SSG)
E-7 Sergeant First Class (SFC)
E-8 First Sergeant (1SG)
E-8 Master Sergeant (MSG)
E-9 Sergeant Major (SGM)
E-9 Command Sergeant Major (CSM)
E-9 Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA)

W-1 Warrant Officer 1 (WO1)
W-2 Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)
W-3 Warrant Officer 3 (CW3)
W-4 Warrant Officer 4 (CW4)
W-5 Master Warrant Officer 5 (CW5)

O-1 2nd Lieutenant (2nd Lt)
O-2 1st Lieutenant (1st Lt)
O-3 Captain (Capt.)
O-4 Major (Maj.)
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.)
O-6 Colonel (Col.)
O-7 Brigadier General (Brig. Gen.)
O-8 Major General (Maj. Gen.)
O-9 Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.)
O-10 General (Gen.)
O-10 Army Chief of Staff (ACS)
General of the Army (Wartime only)


Navy/Coast Guard

E-1 Seaman Recruit (SR)
E-2 Seaman Apprentice (SA) 
E-3 Seaman (SN)
E-4 Petty Officer Third Class (PO3)
E-5 Petty Officer Second Class (PO2)
E-6 Petty Officer First Class (PO1)
E-7 Chief Petty Officer (CPO)
E-8 Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO)
E-9 Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO)
E-9 Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)

W-1 Warrant Officer 1 (WO)
W-2 Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2)
W-3 Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3)
W-4 Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4)
W-5 Master Warrant Officer (CWO5)

O-1 Ensign (ENS)
O-2 Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG)
O-3 Lieutenant (LT)
O-4 Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)
O-5 Commander (CDR)
O-6 Captain (CAPT)
O-7 Rear Admiral (Lower Half) RADM (LH) 
O-8 Rear Admiral (Upper Half) RADM (UH)
O-9 Vice Admiral (VADM)
O-10 Chief of Naval Operations /Commandant of the Coast Guard (ADM)
O-10 Admiral (ADM)
Fleet Admiral (Wartime only) 


Air Force

E-1 Airman Basic (AB)
E-2 Airman (Amn)
E-3 Airman First Class (A1C)
E-4 Senior Airman (SrA)
E-5 Staff Sergeant (SSgt)
E-6 Technical Sergeant (TSgt)
E-7 First Sergeant (1SG)
E-7 Master Sergeant (MSgt)
E-8 First Sergeant (1SG)
E-8 Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) 
E-9 First Sergeant (1SG)
E-9 Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt)
E-9 Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF)

O-1 2nd Lieutenant (2nd Lt)
O-2 1st Lieutenant (1st Lt)
O-3 Captain (Capt.)
O-4 Major (Maj.)
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.)
O-6 Colonel (Col.)
O-7 Brigadier General (Brig. Gen.)
O-8 Major General (Maj. Gen.)
O-9 Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.)
O-10 General (Gen.)
O-10 Air Force Chief of Staff 
General of the Air Force (Wartime only)

TedEx · Answer

try this.

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can some one please explain military ranks to me?

10 Answers