The Second Lieutenant reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Second Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant is the lowest ranking commissioned officer in the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The corresponding Navy rank is Ensign. In German, this rank is Leutnant.

In the US army the rank bore no insignia until 1917 when a gold bar was introduced to contrast with the silver bar of a First Lieutenant. As a result those in the rank have often been referred to as "Butterbars"

The British Army intoduced the Rank in 1871 to replace the rank of Ensign (Cornet in the cavalry). At first the rank bore no distict insignia until the introduction of the single diamond-shaped pip (sometimes referred to as a "star") when the rank of lieutenant and captain each had their number of pips increased by one to (respectively) two and three pips. The Rank is also used by the Royal Marines

In the The Royal Air Force the comparible rank is Pilot Officer, but there is no Royal Navy equivalent as a Sub Lieutenant is equivalent to a Lieutenant and the most junior commissioned rank of Midshipman is considered inferior.

See also Lieutenant, Comparative military ranks

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