COBI US Army General Figure Keyring Set 1372

A COBI minifigure of a US Army general in printed uniform, fixed to a matching brick with a metal chain and keyring. The connection points are glued so it survives daily use.

Counting the stars

American general officers wear silver stars, and the number is the rank: one for a brigadier general, two for a major general, three for a lieutenant general, four for a general.

There is a fifth. General of the Army — five stars in a circle — was created by Congress in December 1944 because Allied commands were being run jointly and American four-star generals were outranked by British field marshals, which was causing real difficulty in coordination.

Five men held it: Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Arnold and Bradley. The rank has never been awarded since, and it is held for life rather than surrendered on retirement.

George Washington outranks all of them. In 1976 Congress posthumously appointed him General of the Armies of the United States with the stipulation that no officer of the United States shall ever rank above him.

In the COBI range

One of a series of sixteen figure keyrings from the Historical Collection. Set 1373 is the retail display holding the full assortment. Set 2589 includes figures of Zhukov, Patton, Robertson and Kœnig.

Specifications

Contents: one minifigure on a brick with metal chain and keyring · Glued connection points · Printed detail