The five-star rank was first created on Dec. 14, 1944. Four Army general officers were promoted to general of the Army that month. Their names and dates of rank are: George C. Marshall, Dec. 16, 1944; Douglas MacArthur, Dec. 18, 1944; Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dec. 20, 1944; and Henry H. Arnold, Dec. 21, 1944. Gen. of the Army Henry H. Arnold, then with the U.S. Army Air Corps, became general of the Air Force when that service was created in 1947. Gen. of the Army Omar N. Bradley received his fifth star Sept. 20, 1950. He was the only general officer with this rank when he died in the 1980s.

There were three Navy admirals promoted to five-star rank during World War II. They are: Fleet Adm. William D. Leahy, Dec. 15, 1944; Fleet Adm. Ernest J. King, Dec. 17, 1944; and Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, Dec. 19, 1944. Adm. William F. Halsey Jr., received his fifth star Dec. 11, 1945, three months after World War II ended.

Note: only two Americans were awarded a rank above five stars:
Gen. of the Armies John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, Arlington National Cemetery;
and Gen. of the Armies George Washington, Mount Vernon, Virginia (President Washington's was awarded retroactively).