A couple of months ago, I took a lighthearted look at how the officer ranks stack up. “Every rank has its ups and downs,” I wrote, but experiences may vary. There are some distinct parallels with enlisted and (for the services that have them) warrant officer ranks, but commissioned officers can be a breed unto themselves. For good and bad.
All of this started with a simple Reddit post, where people lamented about the headaches of company-level command. I could relate to those headaches. I still share the horror stories 25 years after leaving company command – some of which are so bad that I use them as case studies in my classes. But even with the headaches, I still consider command as one of the best experiences of my career, and my life. The relationships I built during those years remain in place today. The memories are largely positive, and the experiences cemented my approach to leadership in a way that continues to shape my philosophy today.
Being a captain in the Army offered some of the best and most rewarding moments of a young career. By the time you take that first command, you’re getting your “sea legs” and things are starting to come together. In some ways, you feel like you’re on top of the world. But how does that rank stack up against the others in an officer’s career progression?
Moving through the Ranks MY WAY (or the Highway)
My own progression through the various ranks presented probably more than my fair share of opportunities to reflect on this question. It’s not that I was a slow learner, it’s just that I tended to learn from my own mistakes. Which is, as I was often reminded, “a technique.” That I survived and enjoyed a long career is a testament to both the institution’s ability to allow us to learn and grow, but also a fair amount of, well… shit luck.
For good or bad, I did things my way. As long as I can remember, people told me that I would never see another promotion. They also routinely told me, “You should…” Finish that phrase however you like. “You should take yourself more seriously.” “You should learn not to speak your mind.” “You should just shut up and do what you’re told.” But that wasn’t me. Maybe I was hardheaded. Maybe I like to go against the grain. Or maybe I was just too independent for my own good. I like to think that my focus was always on doing what made sense and taking care of those who depended on me to do so, but I’m not sure everyone else would agree.
So, let’s just settle on hardheaded.
Ultimately, that led to a lot of reflection over the years. Every promotion offered new challenges, fresh opportunities, and a chance to make new mistakes (And learn from them… see a pattern here?). As I have said in the past, on my journey down the rank road, I was “going to do it my way or go down trying.” And there were more than a few times when I really thought that I would go down trying.
Stumbling Up THE Career LADDER
Every rank is different. While that might seem obvious – and it is – it still holds true. No two ranks are created equal. That’s why commanders get parking spaces and lieutenants park in the dental clinic lot across the street. At each rung on the career ladder, you have good days and bad. Sometimes, you have more good than bad; other times, the opposite is true. And in my experience, that tends to separate the best ranks from the worst.
Second Lieutenant
A lot of people will tell you that being a butterbar is the worst rank there is. Period. Expectations tend to be lower, but so is the respect. You know the joke about the second lieutenant and land navigation? How many second lieutenants have you seen out looking for blinker fluid or the ID-10-T box? Was it the worst? No. Did I count every day until that first promotion? You’d better believe it.
First Lieutenant
All things told, becoming a first lieutenant brought a lot of relief, but also an incredible surge of new expectations. Competence breeds workload, and a good first lieutenant will find themselves quickly buried (relatively) under a stack of new tasks. I found my first primary staff job as a first lieutenant – as a battalion logistics officer – and my overly eager battalion executive officer stacked battalion maintenance officer and food service officer on top of that. I worked my fingers to the bone for two years, but it wasn’t all that that bad.
Captain
When I was promoted to captain – on April Fool’s Day, no less – I felt like I was at the top of the world. Command and its headaches would follow, as well as another primary staff job – this time as a personnel officer – and a tour teaching ROTC at the University of Montana (Go Griz!!). The good days far outweighed the bad – and some of the stories from those days are a little too much to share here – and that made for a great experience overall. This was also when I learned to set a two-drink limit on myself for all social events. Not the worst Army rank, let me tell you.
Major
Promotion to major was a bit deceiving. Like many of my peers, I was promoted shortly before leaving for the Command and General Staff College, where I spent the next two years (thanks, SAMS) honing my craft. When I hit the ground running, I was a year behind those peers and learning the hard way that what I had previously thought was a lot of work didn’t come close to what I was seeing. The competition was a lot stiffer, and for the first time I encountered officers who would lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. Welcome to the Iron Major years. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?
Lieutenant Colonel
By the time lieutenant colonel rolled around, I was firmly committed to twenty and done. I was burned out from the years as a major and an IDGAF attitude had started to settle in. But, I had good jobs, good experiences, and caught a second wind. I was still convinced that I had reached the top of my career ladder, though, so no one was more surprised than me when I was tapped for promotion to colonel. Except maybe the naysayers who said I wouldn’t make captain. Suck it. One of us got here.
Colonel
By the time I pinned on the silver eagles of a colonel, I had already exceeded my own expectations. I was determined to make a difference, though, and even two years as corps-level operations officer didn’t dim the glow. I’d never worked harder or longer, but it didn’t really matter. Unless you have aspirations of grandeur, when you’ve been all that you can be, you simply “exit stage left on your own terms.”
Here Comes the General…
Now, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask if I ever wanted to be a General officer. I know of one leader who actually referred to colonels as failed generals. When you’re outside the circle of trust, the life of a general probably looks pretty good. Flying on government planes, traveling around the world, staying in four-star hotels. Some even have their own chefs, mansion-like quarters, and parking places at the commissary. But once you’re inside that circle, it doesn’t always look so great. The phrase “rode hard and put away wet” comes to mind. Some people are cut out for that; some aren’t. But I think the long-term pay and benefits might make up for some of the associated pain.
