Rising in the United States Army ranks is a snap as long as you are dedicated to serve your nation from the morning bugle to until lights out at night. Getting higher ranks and pay grades is just ...

Army ranks fall into three categories: enlisted soldiers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed every rank and insignia from the official U.S. Army website.

Of the 296 general officers in the active Army, 43 are Black, 21 are female and six are Hispanic as of April 30, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Emanuel Ortiz told Military.com.

Army spokesman Paul Prince cited former Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ directive to trim the Army’s ranks of 27,000 soldiers, beginning in 2015.

Army recruiters found 8,756 new recruits for active-duty service last month, surpassing their stated target of 8,600 -- marking the 13th consecutive month the service met or exceeded its target.

The ax has fallen squarely on the service's lower ranks - the Army has eliminated more than 60,000 enlisted troops, including 40,000 staff sergeants and specialists since 2010.

Army ranks fall into three categories: enlisted soldiers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed every rank and insignia from the official U.S. Army website.