Marine Corps Lieutenant GeneralO-9 LtGen (Previous)
Lieutenant General

Marine Corps General

O-10 General Officer, U.S. Marine Corps
No rank

Marine Corps Ranks » General RankGen PayGen Rank History

History of the Marine Corps General Rank

A General is a General Officer in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade O-10.

The title of "General" has been in use in France and Spain since the 1500s, as an added title of distinction that an Officer held a very major title (similar to Secretary General).

Despite that other branches have had five-star Generals and Admirals, no such rank has ever been considered for the USMC, even in a time of war.

Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' General rank on Military-Ranks.org.


History of the Marine Corps

As far back as the Revolutionary War, Marines were known as Naval Infantry, and were assigned to ships to repel boarders, assault land-based targets, and discipline unruly Sailors. In WWI and WWII, Marines very successfully augmented Army units in war theaters throughout the world, with their most brutal and historic fighting on islands in the Pacific. In contrast with the Army, the Marines were not originally made to be self-sufficient to fight land wars for long periods of time. Doctors, Chaplains, and Medics who deploy with Marines are all Navy Sailors.