Learning the ranks and grades of others in the Army can be very frustrating for a civilian. For your soldier, it is a necessity. He must know who to salute and how to address each person.
As an Army wife, it is up to you how you address someone. Some civilians are very traditional and always address by rank while others don’t address them any differently than they would anyone else. It is up to you. In my experience, if I have ever called someone by rank, they have quickly asked me to call them by their first name.
Below are a list of Army ranks and grades. (See what they look like here)
| RANK | GRADE | |
| OFFICER | General | O-10 |
| Lieutenant General | O-9 | |
| Major General | O-8 | |
| Brigadier General | O-7 | |
| Colonel | O-6 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | O-5 | |
| Major | O-4 | |
| Captain | O-3 | |
| 1st Lieutenant | O-2 | |
| 2nd Lieutenant | O-1 | |
| WARRANT OFFICER | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | W-5 |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4 | W-4 | |
| Chief Warrant Officer 3 | W-3 | |
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | W-2 | |
| Chief Warrant Officer 1 | W-1 | |
| ENLISTED | Sergeant Major of the Army | |
| Command Sergeant Major | E-9 | |
| Sergeant Major | E-9 | |
| First Sergeant | E-8 | |
| Master Sergeant | E-8 | |
| Sergeant First Class | E-7 | |
| Staff Sergeant | E-6 | |
| Sergeant | E-5 | |
| Corporal | E-4 | |
| Specialist | E-4 | |
| Private First Class (PFC) | E-3 | |
| Private | E-2 or E-1 |
Just as a side note, you’ll often hear an E-4 referred to as a “Spec 4” and a private referred to as a “cherry”.