How many US army officers have worn the insignia of a six-star general?

"General of the Armies of the United States" is the highest possible rank in the United States Army, a six-star general. Only two persons have held this rank.

1 George Washington was posthumously promoted during the United States Bicentennial celebrations in 1976.

2 John Joseph Pershing (13 September 1860 – 15 July 1948) was the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front in World War I, 1917–18. He rejected British and French demands that American forces be integrated with their armies and insisted that the AEF would operate as a single unit under his command. On 3 September 1919, Congress enacted Public Law 66-45, approving the promotion of a single "general officer of the Army...distinguished in the higher command of military forces of the United States" to the rank of "General of the Armies of the United States." That same day President Woodrow Wilson promoted Pershing to the rank.

However, Pershing never wore a six-star insignia. Allowed to select his own insignia, he chose to use four gold stars to distinguish himself from those officers who held the rank of General, which was signified with four silver stars.

The picture shows the service uniform shoulder-strap design for a US General of the Armies. No officer has ever worn it.