Talk:Colonel (United States)

War Time Colonel

A question was raised about the war time reversal of the Colonel insignia. I've talked to several O-6s in my own military service who state that this is a tradition if the U.S. ever was in a declared war (last time that actually happened was in 1941). Ive also seen photographs from World War II, through my work at NPRC that show Colonel's reversing the insignia. I dont know exactly how to cite a source, since its verbal and photographic, but thats where the info comes from. -Husnock 20:32, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

LT, I am a Colonel, and in my entire military career in peace and war I've never heard of this. A picture of a WWII Colonel with no documentation doesn't prove much. I've got plenty of pictures of WWII Colonels wearing their eagles correctly. Why don't you take a week to find a source, and if you do then I'll leave this alone. Otherwise, I'm back to my edits. Best wishes and Merry Christmas. Ordrestjean 05:42, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

Time's up. Edit made. Hope you had a great Christmas. Ordrestjean 16:11, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

There are sources for the statement (I found out it was mostly a World War I and Navy thing). However this article is due for a major expansion (I just havent had time to write it yet). When I do, I will add in all the info about the "reverse bird" deal during time of war. -Husnock 17:19, 5 January 2006 (UTC)

The use of a "War Eagle" in the US Military was never authorized. The U.S. Army's Institute of Heraldry posts the following on it's website.

3. Metal insignia was authorized to be worn on the khaki blouse in 1902. The colonel’s insignia was described as a silver spread eagle. There is no reference as to the direction of the eagle’s head nor are there illustrations. The 1917 uniform specifications and regulations describe the insignia as a metal silver spread eagle, 3/4 inch high and 2 inches between the tips of the wings. It was worn on the shoulder loop, beak to the front, and on the right collar of the shirt with the eagle’s beak to the front. In 1921, the size of the eagle was reduced from 2 inches to 1 1/2 inches between the tips of the wings. The height of the insignia remained unchanged at 3/4 inch.

4. In 1926, the insignia was made in pairs with the head of the eagle facing to the front when worn. This was the first reference to the insignia being made in pairs. To do this, the eagle’s head was reversed on one insignia – the insignia worn on the right shoulder had the eagle’s head facing the laurel branch. On the left shoulder, the eagle’s head faced the arrows. The insignia with the eagle’s head facing the arrow became known by the term "war eagle".
5. In 1951, the insignia was redesigned so that the eagle’s head faced the laurel branch on both the left and right shoulder insignia with the arrows to the rear on both insignia.
6. The so called "war eagle" is no longer authorized for wear on the uniform.

— United States Army Institute of Heraldry, Officer Insignia of Grade Colonel

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 160.141.211.217 (talk • contribs) 16:05, 29 August 2006

Removing Content

If you remove factual content, give a reason why, or I'll revert your edit. Thanks. Gelston 07:54, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Jeff Cooper

I believe the late Jeff Cooper was a lieutenant colonel, not a full bird colonel. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.56.202.24 (talk • contribs) 16:21, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Famous Colonel's

There is a Colonel listed as having fought in Korea and Vietnam by the name of Edward Fitzgerald, but it links to a disambiguation page and none of the Edward Fitzgeralds on that page link to anyone who fought in Korea or Vietnam, or anyone who was alive during those periods, unless i am missing something here I feel that name should be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kasedase (talk • contribs) 05:32, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

Rank insignia?

The thumbnail caption for the rank insignia in the article mentions that the Colonel/Captain eagle's design varies between the services. May somebody clarify as to what these differences are? Would be nice to have in the article. Thanks! Illegitimate Barrister (talk) 05:16, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

It's covered in the second paragraph of the "Insignia" section. Essentially, it has to do with which way the eagle is facing, and which sides the olive branches and arrowheads are on. Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 05:24, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Okay, thanks for the info! Illegitimate Barrister (talk) 19:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Education of Colonels at SSC

The entry seemed to tell only half the story and gave the impression that Air Force Colonels all went to school whereas colonels in other branches of service did not. So, I added the marine colonels to the list because they attend a Marine Corps institution at times and at other times attend Naval, Air Force, Army War college etc. per the citation I provided. The bottom line is that most colonels attend a Service War College or a National Defense University alternative. There are other ways to achieve this credential, but these are the main routes. I believe that all colonels are expected to go through this education; however, there may be cases where senior leaders decline to go to school and leave the service without leaving their rank behind. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mthibode (talk • contribs) 16:53, 7 December 2015 (UTC)