U. S. Army Colonel - C O L Rank Insignia over Gold Great Seal Eagle and Flag

Introducing project �Military Insignia�, showcasing top quality military heraldry designs. Here you will find pieces featuring US Army... more

by Serge Averbukh

Title

U. S. Army Colonel - C O L Rank Insignia over Gold Great Seal Eagle and Flag

Artist

Serge Averbukh

Medium

Digital Art - Digital Painting

Description

Introducing project �Military Insignia�, showcasing top quality military heraldry designs. Here you will find pieces featuring US Army Colonel (COL) Rank Insignia over Gold Great Seal Eagle and Flag.
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the rank of captain in the other uniformed services�the Navy, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps. The pay grade for the rank of colonel is O-6.
The insignia for a colonel is a silver eagle which is a stylized representation of the eagle dominating the Great Seal of the United States (which is the coat of arms of the United States). Among all branches of the uniformed services, the rank insignia of the silver eagle is ordinarily worn in matching mirrored pairs, such as on the left and right collar or left and right shoulder of various military uniforms. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps regulations specify that when worn in such fashion, the head of the eagle will always face towards the front. However, when worn as a single insignia with no matching pair, such as on the patrol cap, garrison cap, or the front of the ACU uniform, there is a split between the services on which mirror image of the eagle should be worn. In the United States Army and Air Force, the eagle is always worn with "the head of the eagle to the wearer's right." in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the eagle is worn with "the head facing forward" on the garrison cap, which is a mirror opposite to the wear of the single eagle for Army and Air Force officers.
The United States rank of colonel is a direct successor to the same rank in the British Army. The first colonels in America were appointed from Colonial militias maintained as reserves to the British Army in the American colonies. The first insignia for the rank of colonel consisted of gold epaulettes worn on the blue uniform of the Continental Army. The first recorded use of the eagle insignia was in 1805 as this insignia was made official in uniform regulations by 1810.
Modern American colonels usually command infantry brigades, USAF groups or wings, and USMC regiments. An Army colonel typically commands brigade-sized units (3,000 to 5,000 Soldiers. An Air Force colonel typically commands a wing consisting of 1,000 to 3,000 airmen. Some colonels are commanders of groups, which are the major components of wings. Colonels are also found as the chief of staff at divisional level-(Army) or Numbered Air Force-level staff agencies. Colonels are sometimes referred to (but not addressed) as full-bird colonels or "O-6," in order to differentiate between colonels and lieutenant colonels.

Uploaded

February 20th, 2015