GOD

OK not really but one can't get higher than that.

Depends on the army....IDF- Lt. Colonel. Still leading the charge, but getting alot of desision making and some perks of rank two...

Even though I haven't held it in like 9 years, Corporal was definitely the best rank in the US Army.

If you screwed up, they would say "Aw, it's ok, He's just a CPL, he's still learning).

If you did something good, the Platton Sergeant would line up the Sergeants and scream at them "Why can't you be like that Corporal? He's squared away!"

You could basically do no wrong. The best 12 months of my entire career so far.

on the microsoft issue, the jobs to stressful. I personally think the best rank is...to be a retired bijillionaire(much more than a trillionaire) -it may not be a real number, but i like the way it sounds. All the time in the world and all the money to spend.

Originally Posted by dragon_master_gunner

Even though I haven't held it in like 9 years, Corporal was definitely the best rank in the US Army.

We had a prior-service cadet (now Lieutenant) who had been a Specialist, and he always talked about that being the best rank in the Army, because you weren't high enough to have too much responsibility but you were high enough to not have to do any of the crap jobs the Privates have to do.

Lieutenant Colonel - you are still close to soldiers (particulary as a Battalion Commander!) and soldiering. Who says Majors and above don't go to the field????? FTXs and LFXs are more fun than almost anything you can do (OK, I'm an Artilleryman, I like noise and the woods )

The amount of impact you have on your fellow soldiers depends on your duty position and desire. The same goes for the amount of fun you are having while performing your assigned duties (that's what I tell myself anyway as I gaze at the next stack of DD Forms 1610 I have to review and sign).

We had a prior-service cadet (now Lieutenant) who had been a Specialist, and he always talked about that being the best rank in the Army, because you weren't high enough to have too much responsibility but you were high enough to not have to do any of the crap jobs the Privates have to do.

Yep, Spec4 is great. You get to be part of the mafia, cherries can keep a Spec4 entertained for hours and hours and hours. But one great thing about being a PV1 and having to deal with the Spec4 mafia is knowing that no matter how much they smoke you, they'll always do what it takes to keep you alive.

E-7/E-8 The O's listen to what you have to say, the lower enlisted think you're God if you're a good leader.

O-3 is also great. O-4 isn't too bad, but a lot of politics and red tape BS to deal with.

Honestly, to me, it doesn't matter if you're a E-5 or an O-5, if you're a good leader, know your stuff, but remain open and humble to new ideas and lessons, put your lads first and are willing to stake your career on their needs - they'll be willing to follow you to hell and back. And next to making sure they get home alive, that is the most important - those that follow you and serve beside you.

This is a no brainer: Warrant Officer (Non flight, i guess).
The WO's we had spent their days drinking coffee and swapping tales of when they had to work. On a rare occasion they would do something strenuous like order stock or fill out a job order
And in the field, well, we didn't have an expando van cause we needed room in the machine shop, we had it because chief couldn't set up his cot and Mr. Coffee in the old trailer.

I have to say that the most satisfying rank that I ever held was E7, Platoon Sergeant. I was a PSG for a 4.2 Mortar Platoon, a Scout Platoon, and a TOW Platoon over the course of maybe 10 yrs.. You get to be out in the field and don't have to spend too much time at HQ. The only officer who you really have to deal with is your Plt. Ldr. and they were usually pretty green so they're just like one of the platoon.
When they promoted me to 1SG all the EMs were reluctant to let their guard down in front of me and I had to deal with a lot more officers than before. Then I had to worry about those REMFs in the Company CP who were used to slacking off way more than the guys out in the boonies. A lot of them quickly became guys out in the boonies though Bullets, beans, and band-aids were my concern as a 1SG, pretty boring actually. I found out quickly why my former 1SGs loved to come out and visit with the platoons. I found out that if you sit around the CP for very long you became a sitting duck for every BN staff officer with an inane question about what's going on that day or a silly request for resources. The company officers were OK for the most part but those BN REMFs were a whole other breed of dog.

Field Marshal, definitely.