often as the heads of their departments. In 2014 five women were serving as lieutenant generals in the US Army. After the close of the Second World War, generals were normally promoted permanently to brigadier general and major general, with temporary promotions to lieutenant general and general to fill senior positions as needed. In theory, a general vacates their three or four-star rank at the termination of their assignment unless placed in an equal ranking billet. Douglas MacArthur, who served as a four-star general and Army Chief of Staff, reverted to two stars after his CoS tour ended but chose to stay on active duty in the United States Army. The practice of using lieutenant general and general grades as a temporary rank continues, with the President and the Department of Defense creating temporary or indefinite three- and four-star assignments, with a fixed term of office, with the approval of the Senate. Even with the temporary status, such officers are also almost always granted permanent retirement in the last grade they held with the satisfactory completion of at least two or three years in grade. Famous lieutenant generals Historic Listed in order of receiving the rank: George Washington, the first officer to be appointed to the grade of lieutenant general. He was later posthumously promoted to General of the Armies of the United States in 1976. Winfield Scott, received a brevet promotion to lieutenant general Ulysses S. Grant, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States William Sherman, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States Philip Sheridan, later promoted to General of the Army of the United States John Schofield, while serving as Commanding General of the United States Army Nelson A. Miles, while serving as Commanding General of the United States Army Thomas Holcomb, the first U.S. Marine promoted to the rank as Commandant of the Marine Corps in January 1942 World War II Frank Maxwell Andrews, U.S. Army Air Forces, commander of U.S. Forces in the European Theater, killed in an air crash Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., commander of U.S. Tenth Army, posthumously promoted to General Jimmy Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Forces, leader of the Doolittle Raid on Japan in World War II and commander of the U.S. Eighth Air Force, Twelfth Air Force and Fifteenth Air Force, later promoted to general, U.S. Air Force, after retirement Hugh Aloysius Drum, commander