Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1/2 Dollar 2013, KM# 554, United States of America (USA), US Army 5-Star Generals, Henry Arnold and Omar N. Bradley
  • 1/2 Dollar 2013, KM# 554, United States of America (USA), US Army 5-Star Generals, Henry Arnold and Omar N. Bradley
Description

The United States Mint issued three coins as part of a program to recognize and celebrate the 5-Star Generals of the United States Army. The release of the coins would also coincide with the 132nd anniversary of the founding of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. Two of the five individuals to hold this distinction were featured on a clad composition half dollar.

A five-star rank is the highest military rank in the United States, with a five-star general insignia. Five-star ranks are extremely senior and are usually the highest ranks. As an active rank, the position exists only in a minority of countries and is usually held by only a very few officers during wartime. In times of peace, it is usually held only as an honorary rank. Traditionally, five-star ranks are granted to distinguished military commanders for notable wartime victories and/or in recognition of a record of achievement during the officer's career, whether in peace or in war.

Five-star ranks were created in the U.S. military during World War II because of the awkward situation created when some American senior commanders were placed in positions commanding allied officers of higher rank. U.S. officers holding five-star rank draw full active duty pay for life, both before and after retiring from active duty. The five-star ranks were retired in 1981 on the death of General of the Army Omar Bradley. Nine Americans have been promoted to five-star rank, one of them, Henry H. Arnold, in two services (U.S. Army then later in the U.S. Air Force).

Design: Phebe Hemphill

Obverse

Depicts portraits of Generals Henry Arnold and Omar N. Bradley with the five-star insignia at the centre. Inscriptions included “Liberty”, “In God We Trust”, “Henry Hap Arnold”, “Omar N. Bradley”, and “2013”.

Henry Harley Arnold (1886–1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), commanding general of the United States Army Air Forces, the only United States Air Force general to hold five-star rank, and the only officer to hold a five-star rank in two different U.S. military services. Arnold was also the founder of Project RAND, which evolved into one of the world's largest non-profit global policy think tanks, the RAND Corporation, and one of the founders of Pan American World Airways.

Omar Nelson Bradley (1893–1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and oversaw the U.S. military's policy-making in the Korean War. After the war, Bradley headed the Veterans Administration. In 1950, Bradley was promoted to the rank of General of the Army, becoming the last of the nine individuals promoted to five-star rank in the United States Armed Forces.

LIBERTY
IN GOD WE TRUST
HENRY "HAP" ARNOLD
OMAR N. BRADLEY
PH
2013

Reverse

Depicts the heraldic crest of Fort Leavenworth (The Command and General Staff College) with inscriptions “United States of America”, “E Pluribus Unum”, and “Half Dollar”.

The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as the School of Application for Infantry and Cavalry (later simply the Infantry and Cavalry School), a training school for infantry and cavalry officers. The curriculum expanded throughout World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and continues to adapt to include lessons learned from current conflicts. Fort Leavenworth has been historically known as the "Intellectual Center of the Army."

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
E PLURIBUS UNUM
LEAVEN WORTH
D
AD BELLUM PACE PARATI PH
ONE DOLLAR

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Copper Nickel Clad Copper
Weight 11.34 g
Diameter 30.61 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
San Francisco Mint (S)

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