# Question about US Army military rank **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2005, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556 "2005-07-28T09:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556/21 "2005-07-29T22:57:56Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > By asking what the various ranks a colloquially known as? > > I only ask because I worked with a guy who was briefly in the army as a Lieutentant in the Queen’s Regiment and was forever going about it. I happened to mention this to one of our techies who was also an ex-squaddie. He responded instantly “so xxxx was a Rupert in the Queersmen? That figures.” > > So apparently to the British army a Second Rupert is a Second Lieutentant straight out of Sandhurst. What are they called in the US? “Butterbars,” because the insignia is a single bar of yellow metal. Butterbar, L-tee, “that asshole with the compass and map,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556/22 "2005-07-30T03:16:23Z")
‘Rupert’ is British squaddie-speak for any officer. British upper-class people have funny names. Like Rupert. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556/23 "2005-07-30T03:35:05Z")
> [@False\_God](#): > > “Butterbars,” because the insignia is a single bar of yellow metal. Butterbar, L-tee, “that asshole with the compass and map,” etc. I’ve heard one retired Air Force sergeant refer to Lieutenants as “Louies” Granted, he was the only person I’ve ever heard use that expressioin. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556/24 "2005-07-30T07:33:45Z")
My brother is a 1LT in Iraq in the US Army. He says the army has had a retention problem with captains, and has had to increase pay and be kinder about meeting requests for postings. The ROTC and academy guys fulfill their requirement and leave. This means that you do have to kind of be a screwup to not get to Captain, he says. Getting to major means a real investigation though, and farther up means less and less chance of getting the more important and fewer positions. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556/25 "2005-07-30T14:43:31Z")
Back when Moffett Field (Mountain View CA) still had a significant Navy presence, the base housing also made room for Air Force personnel working at a small installation nearby. My friend created quite a stir when he called the gate identifying himself as Captain Smith and requesting special attention to his guest arriving that afternoon. The SP at the guardhouse were none too happy when they found out Smith was only an _Air Force_ captain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-us-army-military-rank/314556.md?page=1)