private first class
Junior enlisted soldier
Private first class is a military rank in the U.S.
Army and Marine Corps, one step above private.
It's the lowest rank that carries any distinction—typically earned after a few months of service or completion of basic training.
Abbreviated PFC or Pfc: He made private first class after six months.
- lance corporalLowest NCO grade
- corporalOf the flesh
- enlisted rankNon-commissioned military grade
- enlistedSigned up formally
- specialistExpert in one field
basic training · boot camp · sergeant · promotion · military rank · stripes · deployment · overseas deployment · active duty · military police · drill · uniform · rank insignia · rifle · platoon · soldier · squad · infantry
- military ranksgeneral, captain, major, sergeant, officer
- Army Enlistedcorporal, sergeant, specialist, PFC, staff sergeant
- enlisted rankscorporal, sergeant, seaman, airman, specialist
- enlisted soldierscorporal, sergeant, enlisted man, recruit, GI
- NCO rankssergeant, corporal, staff sergeant, master sergeant, gunnery sergeant
- recruitsrecruit, new recruit, raw recruit, draftee, conscript
private first classgeneral
Widespread, not specialized
four-star general · general of the army · field marshal · five-star general · lieutenant general
private first classcommissioned officer
Formally appointed military leader
officer · lieutenant · captain · major · second lieutenant
private, first, class, privacy, privately, privation, privateer, privatize, privatization