The majority of our nation’s presidents hold the distinction of once being called a Veteran before they ever held the title of Commander-in-Chief.
The following facts are being presented in observance of President’s Day, which takes place this year on February 18. Thirty-one of the 45 U.S. presidents have served in the U.S. armed forces, and 12 of them were general officers (O-7 to O-11 with one, at least in theory, O-12).
The three presidents to hold the highest military ranks were: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant, respectively.
Washington held the rank of lieutenant general which would put him at O-9 using today’s existing pay grade scale for U.S. service members, but in 1976, then-president Gerald R. Ford posthumously appointed him to General of the Armies of the United States.
The only other person to hold the same title was Gen. John J. Pershing, who retired on Sept. 13, 1924. Although both Washington and Pershing received the same appointment, Washington is considered the higher-ranking officer as President Ford specified he would rank higher than all officers past, present and future. While there’s technically no extra star, it’s the only rank above five-star general. This special appointment would theoretically make Washington a six-star general, or O-12.
The three presidents to hold the highest military ranks are: Presidents George Washington (center), Dwight D. Eisenhower (at right) and Ulysses S. Grant (at left), respectively. Washington held the rank of lieutenant general (O-9) when he died, but in 1976, then president and former Naval Reserve
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